MORPHO-LOGIC

Description

The small house with just 70 sqm of floor space is set back on the plot to minimise interference with the slope (inclination of 34 degrees, protected spa area). Resting on a steel frame, the floor of the prefabricated timber construction follows the contours of the slope but breaks away from it on the downhill side. The location of the house at the upper end of the hillside plot results in a typology whose shape and outer skin aim to reference the occasionally idiosyncratic and often also elevated traditional local barns. The conical layout, open on the downhill side, reinforces this orientation towards the valley. The large symmetrical corner glazing on both sides guides one’s view towards the valley. The slope dictates both the external shape as well as the internal room structure. Four levels connected by steps are dedicated to different living areas - sleeping, relaxation, cooking, eating/living. The outer shell creates an overall space with a height of 2.50 to 3.60 metres, structured by the different levels. At the upper end of the slope is the low and intimate bedroom level. Below it is the bathroom and entrance level, followed by a narrow kitchen platform above the living/dining area that extends onto a terrace. Cascading steps follow the line of the longitudinal sides. Window openings on both ends extend the cascades into the landscape. Inside the house, the slope is experienced not as an obstacle but as a spatial enhancement. All inside and outside surfaces are made of larch.