House At The Owl Forest
HOUSE AT THE OWL FOREST
BERKTOLD WEBER Architekten
YEAR
2019
LOCATION
Kremsmünster, Austria
CATEGORY
Residential › Private House
A simple, clear wooden house on the hillside at the calm edge of the owl forest. The outskirts of the residential area of the village end here and this new object shapes this transition between settlement and nature.
A staircase from the carport leads to the entrance of the house on the hillside floor. There is space for a small flat for alternative use.
Life and human interaction take place on the living level on the upper floor. The topography of the property is used in a smart way so that one can reach the garden even with the ground from the upper floor as well.
The design takes up the typology of the nave, the room units form a fluent joint composition. In this way, different room zones can be connected to one another or, if desired, opportunities to retreat can be created.
A lively game of different interconnectable living spaces is brought into existence, and playing with outlooks, insights and perspective indeed allow to experience the volume of the house in a holistic way.
The building is shrouded in a dress of silver fir slats. The subtle dissolution of the facade from the living space creates appealing spaces between the inside and the outside, a “house within the house” with a lively play of contrasts.
The clear construction with few architectural gestures enables compliance with the compact budget. The continuous, reduced materialization creates a calm clarity and warmth:
silver fir in combination with a powerful ash floor, clay and black steel. Particular attention was paid to the use of ecological materials.
The heating requirements are covered with an air heat pump, complemented by a storage heater in the living area, which as an additional design element many a time may provide the smell of freshly baked bread.
