What should a family home look like, and how should it perform? This question was the starting point for a project in Rollingen, where in-depth conversations between the client and Sideshore shaped a shared ambition: to create a home that is modern in design, construction, and energy performance, without compromising on the needs of everyday life. 

Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, the design strategy focused on adaptation and extension. A timber addition doubles the living area, while a comprehensive retrofit reorganises the home to be more open and outward-facing. A newly installed wood pellet system, alongside radiators and underfloor heating, reduces the home’s reliance on fossil fuels.

The original compartmentalised floor plan gives way to fluid layout designed by Sideshore to strengthen connections between indoors and out. The kitchen and living spaces now open onto a spacious wooden terrace and the garden beyond. A triple-glazed veranda encloses part of this space, creating a flexible zone that is usable year-round. Upstairs, a balcony recessed into the pitched roof adds private outdoor space without changing the building’s silhouette.

Energy performance was improved through targeted interventions. The existing structure was upgraded with 6–10 cm compressed wood-fibre insulated panels and the roof was raised by one metre and rebuilt with a timber rafter system, insulated with a 22 mm compressed wood layer and 24 cm of cellulose. These help the building maintain breathability while significantly enhancing its thermal efficiency.

The extension was constructed using the Thoma Holz100 solid wood system, which uses kiln-dried spruce logs connected with wooden dowels to create a strong, airtight structure. To further improve energy efficiency and durability, an additional 10 cm of insulation was added and the exterior finished with timber cladding.

Today, the family home meets low-passive house standards, has cut energy consumption by 90%, and lowered its annual CO2 emissions by five tonnes—all with double the living space. It is one of only 30 homes in Luxembourg to have received the Gréng Hausnummer, a sustainability certification that reflects how Sideshore successfully answered the question: What should a family home look like, and how should it perform?