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Residential house in Berlin

Wohnhaus Berlin
Germany , Berlin

SHK master Lucke consistently relies on TECE when building his own home

Berlin is home to a special kind of single-family house: a bungalow in atrium design with an almost windowless outer shell. Daylight only penetrates through the fully glazed façade in the inner courtyard - an exclusive idyllic retreat in the middle of the Spree metropolis. In addition to the impressive architecture, the building's features are impressive in terms of sustainability and accessibility. Heating, pre-wall and sanitary technology and pipe systems come from the Emsdetten-based building services specialist TECE.

The unusual building in Berlin-Weißensee took four years of planning and a good year of construction.

Wohnhaus Berlin

The result is something to be proud of: Upscale interior and 150 square metres of living space and a 50-square-metre atrium. The grey exterior façade is only broken through by the doors and a small window at the guest WC. Daylight enters almost exclusively through the spacious atrium.

The building services equipment of the object, which is inconspicuous from the outside, is also impressive: gas condensing boiler, solar system, heating water buffer tank, water-bearing fireplace, fresh water module, soft water system and controlled living space ventilation.

The owner is master plumber Stefan Lucke, who also took care of the installation work himself and is now also a satisfied resident of the property: "Ecological sustainability was very important to me during construction. The technology used is extremely proven and efficient in its use of resources.

The bungalow is heated with underfloor heating that draws its heat from the buffer storage tank. The complete TECEfloor system consists of heating pipes, installation accessories and a distributor. The underfloor heating is supported by an environmentally friendly concrete core activation system in the solid ceiling. Water circulates in the TECEfloor Silver Line Quality heating pipes installed there, absorbing heat from the ceiling or releasing it to it, depending on the temperature.

A big advantage in summer: Thanks to the cooling effect, there is no need for an expensive and energy-guzzling air conditioning system. At night, the pipes release the heat to the ground and prevent the building from heating up too much. When the outside temperature is cold, the water from the buffer tank warms the ceiling - creating pleasant radiant heat. 

Wohnhaus Berlin
Wohnhaus Berlin

Stefan Lucke also relies on building technology from Emsdetten in the bathroom, starting with the TECEprofil pre-wall system: "As a self-employed plumber, I have long been convinced by the system. Installation is easy and saves valuable construction time." With only three basic components (profile pipe, corner connectors and fastening brackets), the sanitary walls could be quickly erected and lines and pipes neatly laid in them. The supporting structure of galvanised steel profile pipes, erected in dry construction, provides statically secure support for the washstand and WC, without the need for dirt-intensive, sweaty pointing and plastering of the solid wall. 

For the toilet, Lucke opted for the standard TECEprofil toilet module with integrated dual-flush cistern. The water-saving dual-flush technology is triggered with the TECEloop real glass actuator. The large button activates the 4.5-litre full flush, the small one the 3-litre partial flush. Minimalist and functionally structured, the flush-mounted plate blends elegantly and unobtrusively into the architecture. 

In the guest toilet of the bungalow, the multifunctional TECElux 400 toilet terminal awaits the user. Here, the seat height of the ceramic can be retrofitted by up to eight centimetres, depending on the living situation. "I'm over 50, so of course you think about age and accessibility when you're building a house. If I'm no longer so mobile, I can adjust the seat height without any major renovation work thanks to TECElux," says Lucke. The fully equipped TECElux 400 version hides all kinds of technology invisibly in the pre-wall: the economical dual-flush cistern with insertion shaft for cleaning tabs, an air filter system and the electronics of the touch-free "sen-Touch" release - easily accessible via a 53 x 38 centimetre inspection opening, concealed by a hinged safety glass panel. The plain white plate harmonises with the white walls and serves as an easy-to-clean splash guard. A built-in proximity sensor detects when a person approaches the WC and activates the dual-flush button lighting shining through the glass.

Wohnhaus Berlin
Wohnhaus Berlin

The shower area is also sustainable in the sense of timeless and barrier-free. The tiles run seamlessly without thresholds and steps through the entire bathroom to the TECEdrainline shower channel, which is installed flush with the wall. Cushioning elements provide additional slip resistance here and ensure a firm and wobble-free fit of the cover made of white safety glass, which continues the design concept of TECElux and TECEloop in the shower. The jointless and therefore easy-to-clean channel body made of stainless steel sits under the easily removable cover. It manages without gaps and screws and offers no niches for hard-to-reach dirt deposits.

Stefan Lucke has been living in his new home since July 2015. "I'm sure I'll be able to live here for the next 50 years," laughs the master plumber.