As the name suggests, Villa NEO is the result of a project in which Querkopf Architekten envisioned the villa of the future. By reinterpreting classical rules, the final product is a modern villa characterised by sharp lines and contemporary style that offers an incomparable sense of living in the midst of nature.

The architects wanted this project to straddle the line between sculpture and architecture, ensuring that each aspect of the property was functional as well as strikingly creative. From the street, Villa NEO is completely private, appearing as three shapes of concrete that blend fluidly, giving no glimpse of life inside. From the other side, Villa NEO’s floor-to-ceiling glazing lets in vast amounts of natural light and opens up to the forest that surrounds the property.

In contrast to the open, ground floor glazing, the first floor of the project is made entirely of concrete except for a few large windows in the sleeping areas that present views into the forest. This concrete first floor is not only visually important for the property, lending the project a decidedly modern style, it also delegates private and public space: the upper floor houses all of the sleeping areas while the ground floor features the communal, social spaces and opens to the large swimming pool, garden and surrounding forest.

While in many ways this project is about contrast – classical rules in a modern project, private façades balanced by floor-to-ceiling glazing – it’s also about unity. The contrasting elements of Villa NEO are tied together by one unifying concept: the villa of the future.

Photography by Frank Löschke.