Description

The site with a 12-m-drop called for a customized solution: a steel construction supports a floor cantilevered on all sides, a 350-m²-large parking deck, which is accessed on two sides via ramps leading downward. A two-story steel-glass house with central patio is raised on pilotis on this deck; the patio improves the lighting and ventilation conditions in the building and moreover invests the open space with the desired degree of privacy.

The steel construction of the house is fully glazed in the direction of the patio, the street, and to the rear with its vista; individual segments are opaque, where required. A wall rising to the full height of the building along the mirror axis divides the two halves. Due to the close proximity of the neighbouring development, nearly all rooms are oriented toward the interior courtyard, which divides the units horizontally and vertically into two areas, featuring wood siding, like the living area. Kitchen and dining area are located below, off the entrance, opposite to the partially two-story-high living room. The second floor accommodates the bedrooms and bathrooms. With its filigree “stilts” and light­weight facade design, the house seems to float above the drop.

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Originally published in: Oliver Heckmann, Friederike Schneider (eds.), Floor Plan Manual Housing, fourth revised and expanded edition, Birkhäuser, 2011.