Kay's house used to be a place where people sweated a lot: he lives in a former gymnasium dating from 1912, which he has transformed into his dream home.

However, Kay was able to preserve many traces of the sporting past during the conversion: A medicine ball serves as a doorstop, and the handle of the entrance door is made from an old bar rail. The history of the house is palpable everywhere; Kay has made it his motto. In the bathroom, he reused the old hooks from the locker room, and in the living room are wooden benches, discarded from a neighboring village's gymnasium.

The hall is already over 100 years old. When a new gymnasium was built in Gerstetten in early 2013, the old building was up for sale. "We didn't want to build a new one, but an existing building, because we find the energy in such an old building interesting," Kay explains. He himself is from the neighboring town. When a friend hears about the gym, he tips him off. Kay was able to buy the old gymnasium for 65,000 euros. He then invests another 750,000 euros in the renovation.

The renovation took 1.5 years and was a lot of work. Kay and his family were supported by friends. "The walls were completely built up. We had to remove everything: plaster, Styrofoam and carpets on chipboard." Even during the deconstruction, they were frequently reminded of the building's history: ping-pong balls kept coming their way, stuck in the walls.

In the beginning, the building was just an empty, open hall. For Kay, who works as an architect, it was a playground. "Where do you come in and where do you go up?" Those were the two basic questions that drove the entire design. In the end, he decides to put in two false ceilings made of solid wood and turn the large hall into a house with 188 square meters of living space. The large building is heated with central heating, which is fed by the solar collectors on the south facade.
The half-timbering and old brick walls are a particular highlight for Kay. "We used steel, wood and lime plaster on the walls. I wanted to incorporate simple, raw materials." Many materials that were ripped out of the hall could be recycled elsewhere. "Sustainability is important to us; we were able to use up to 90 percent organic building materials."

Kay designed all the built-in furniture throughout the house himself. They are made of screen-printed panels, which are inexpensive as a material. He also loves the refined look. The cabinets can be used on both sides. Because the house has no basement, they therefore serve them not only as walls, but also provide a lot of storage space at the same time.

Kay loves his bright, light-filled house with its unusual history. "The remodel was very involved, but the day it was finished, I stood outside and looked at it and thought: Wow, I want to die here."

A film by Marina Schulz (editor), Oleg Kauz, Enno Endlicher (camera), Daniele Guida (sound) and Daniela Schramm Moura (editing). Production: EIKON Media GmbH, on behalf of SWR.

00:00 Living in the old gymnasium
01:30 Common area with living and dining room
04:12 Kitchen
05:59 Wall cupboards instead of walls
07:51 Upper floor
08:49 Bedroom
10:18 Bathroom
11:37 Under the roof
12:12 Garden