Paravicini House

Klaus-Peter Gast

Description

The view south into the valley to the Alps demanded large areas of glass from the architects. The walls detach themselves to rise from floor to ceiling without profiles, setting the horizontal beams of the floors in contrast with the vertical cedar wood areas of the walls. To reduce the construction elements to a minimum, any sense of massive scale was abandoned; the timber cladding on the outside walls suggests lightweight construction. This fits in with the intention to create a Far Eastern effect of the kind expressed in spaces like an open Zen garden or a meditation space in the upper, access storey. The stillness of the architecture corresponds with inner relaxation, one of the client’s wishes that has been fulfilled very successfully. This concept is reinforced not only by the broad sweep of the sparsely furnished large rooms, but above all by the way they open out into the wide expanse of the exterior terrace plateaux.

The sloping site with its three gradations offers an experience of topography in space, and also provides garage access in the upper storey. Here is the main entrance, and an unusually lavish bedroom, bathroom and meditation area with a garden terrace. The living floor is below, and here a large, continuous terrace is placed in front of a flowing living, kitchen and dining area. These terraces with their predominantly horizontal quality are staggered external levels determining the house’s character. The sense of two-dimensional proneness is calming on the one hand, but also dramatizes the steps in the terrain. The panoramic view also determines the direction the children’s rooms on the lower floor face; they have a protective loggia in front of them to avoid dazzling light and frame the Alpine scenery.