Villa in Postupimi by Sergej Čoban

On the shores of the Potsdam lakes, wealthy Berliners have been having luxurious holiday villas built since the time of K.F.Schinkel. Currently, the traditionalist demands of Berlin's elite are met by Carsten Vogel (a former collaborator of J.P.Kleihues and H.Kollhoff), but occasionally, interesting architectural experiments can be found in the Brandenburg forests. One of them is a villa in Wilhelmshorst, south of Potsdam, designed by Russian architect Sergei Tchoban. The family house, with a total area of 474 m², consists of two parts: a massive ground-floor block made of brick (following the example of the neighboring houses) and a transparent above-ground section with a prominent overhang. The individual floors are set back enough to create a generous roof terrace of 70 m² on the first floor, offering a view of the surrounding pine forest. Both floors are interconnected by a sculpturally designed spiral staircase. The basement features a gym and sauna with a pool, while the ground floor is dominated by a large living room with a fireplace and a covered terrace. The upper floor contains three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and a spacious dressing room.