House N, Dornbirn (AT)

Three stories create a terraced landscape with separate interior and exterior spaces. A few architectural gestures suffice to offer a combination of privacy and a view of the landscape thanks to the hillside location. The access path leads to a garage door that has been diffidently integrated into the façade. The spacious basement made of reinforced concrete houses a sauna, the building services and various storage rooms. On top of the entrance, sit the living quarters that jut out of the building just above the entrée. The bedrooms form together with a generous, open office a protective alcove for a green roof above the garage. A shallow water basin delineates the edges and serves as a safety rail, without obstructing the view. A reinforced concrete wall with a continuous skylight that faces the hill landscape shields against views from the outside. On the upper story, the patio of a large, glazed living area stretches like the deck of a ship along the protruding floor. The continuous wall surfaces and ceiling edges made of cedar wood feature an S-shaped design on the two upper stories. Two staircases protrude the ceilings and extend through the entire house. They terminate on the upper story of the north façade that boasts a view of the landscape. Taking another turn back into the space the visitor enters the living quarters. A freestanding, brick fireplace and a kitchen unit that extends all the way to the ceiling structure the interiors. The floor and fitted furniture are crafted from nut wood and their dark surfaces contrast with the bright daylight.

Client: private
Location: A-6850 Dornbirn
Architecture: Dietrich | Untertrifaller
Project management: Wolfgang Elmenreich
Construction: 2002-2004
Area: 250 m²

Partner
structural engineering: Mader & Flatz, Bregenz / HAVCR: Synergy, Dornbirn /// photos: © Bruno Klomfar