Art, Nature and Architecture Intertwine at Gutshof Güldenho

Three years of planning and shaping a vision, art and nature intertwine harmoniously in Heim Balp-designed artist residence, dubbed Gutshof Güldenhof. Property owner, Vietnamese visual artist Danh Vo worked together with Berlin-based architects Michael Heim, Pietro Balp (directors of Heim Balp Architekten) and their team to transform a 5,000-square-metre 18th-century farming estate into a modern art studio and living quarters while incorporating principles of permaculture.

Located in Stechlin, Germany, the formerly abandoned property is riddled with numerous barns and a stable which Vo saw as an opportunity to become a “thriving and active centre for art (and) an example of sustainable living and social interaction”. The decision and brief led to a unique jigsaw combination of materials that distinguished the past and current times. Existing buildings made of brick, stone and wooden structures were boldly mended with corrugated metal, black rendered plaster, polished concrete and plywood—materials that are modern yet highly distinguishable in contemporary agricultural architecture, while melding with the lush landscape.

Heim Balp Architekten Gutshof Guldenhof Danh Vo Artist Photo Francesca Iovene Yellowtrace 14

Heim Balp Architekten Gutshof Guldenhof Danh Vo Artist Photo Francesca Iovene Yellowtrace 15

The newly restored property consists of three buildings that range between a residential unit, storage, and studio space, and one for agricultural experiences. The main building—a former two-storey crumbling farmhouse—is patched and restored into a shared living complex across three stories. In the slim rectangular footprint fits a large kitchen, library and laundry located in the centre. To the west resides a floor-to-high ceiling smooth concrete room used as studio space with a multi-purpose oven serving as a grounding statement. To the east is an ensemble of bedrooms, a shared bathroom and a library. Tucked in the corner of the eastern end fits a twisted concrete staircase used for timber storage that leads to the second floor of a ply clad studio, also fitted with a wooden staircase that leads up to a third level (also lined in ply) used predominantly as a display space.

Further up of the estate reveals two barns that sit on the west and east of the main house, both restored to function mainly as a storage. The west structure retained most of its textured stone façade—though nearly blanketed by crawling vines—becoming primary storage of artists’ raw materials. The barn on the east of the property is a two-storey stone and brick building with an impressive preserved timber roof. In contrast to the west counterpart, the east barn’s ground floor is used for storage and paper archives. The level above features a ten metre high empty space split into two, ready to be transformed into an exhibition when desired.

Towards the north, the former stables are readapted into a semi-open greenhouse structure catered towards farming and gardening activities. Timber roof trusses are exposed and protected by a polycarbonate roof for filtered light into the newly transformed environment slowly overtaken by bursting greens that look like nature is appropriately returning the building to the landscape.

Like a stage set, Gutshof Güldenhof imprints the narrative of appreciating the beauty found in the simple rituals of daily living. Whether it’d be reading a book, making art, or watching the droplets fall into the garden bed—they’re all simple acts that are inspiring rhythms waiting to be embedded in the artist’s future vision.