Concept residential house in Salzkammergut
How can environmentally friendly living be combined with high living standards? The new Solarlux concept house in Salzkammergut, Upper Austria, provides answers to this question. The building, which is constructed almost entirely from timber, is designed as an atmospheric place where modern and sustainable architecture can be experienced with all the senses. Architect and expert in solar construction Dr. Peter Kuczia achieved this not only by carefully integrating the house in the unique mountain landscape, but with large, movable glass fronts that create seamless transitions between the indoors and outdoors, a loggia that functions as a climate buffer zone and building technology that relies fully on regenerative energy sources, among other things. The low-tech ventilation concept was developed together with Thomas Auer, professor of building technology and climate-friendly construction at the Technical University of Munich.
“The house you cannot see” – this is how locals describe the building by an idyllic lake in Salzkammergut, which seems to blend into background in harmony with the surrounding mountains, forests and sky, despite its floor area of over 200 square metres. Despite being designed as show home, it sets new standards by allowing visitors to experience a wide variety of living arrangements first hand and demonstrating the advantages of sustainable construction in a real project. ^^
Architecture in harmony with nature
The successful integration of the building into its surroundings is made possible by the detailed building geometry chosen by architect Dr. Peter Kuczia, which gives the four-storey split-level house its solid appearance. This is achieved by projections and recesses in the building's shell, as well as by a vertical seam of glass around the circumference of the building, which creates atmospheric lighting effects on the interior as a 45-centimetre band of light. The harmonious effect is further reinforced by the vertical wood cladding, which draws on the colours of the surrounding mountain landscape and sky in varying shades of brown and blue and makes the house seem to adapt to the seasonally changing mood of the landscape like a chameleon. The building is accessed via a natural gravel path. The main entrance on the east side of the Solarlux house is barely perceptible and consists of a cero sliding window from Solarlux with an electric drive, allowing the window to glide gently into a wall pocket when opened. It is unlocked using a fingerprint scanner on the inside and outside.
Sweeping views and sustainable construction
A sense of visual connection with the building’s surroundings is provided by fixed glazing, sliding windows or all-glass slide-and-turn elements from Solarlux on the east, west and south sides. The north side is almost entirely closed, not least for reasons of energy efficiency. The large cero sliding windows that span the entire length of the south side can be opened wide using system-integrated electric drives, creating a seamless transition to the outdoors at the touch of a button. For privacy and sun protection, there are large shading elements on the exterior made of vertical wood slats. When closed, these further reinforce the impression of a monolithic building that blends into its surroundings. A Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) construction was chosen for the supporting structure, which offers exceptional structural properties with comparably low component thicknesses.
Exemplary living on four levels
The interior ground plan structure was laid out by architect Dr. Peter Kuczia according to the cardinal directions and the surrounding landscape: on level -1, three bedrooms large cero sliding windows open towards the lake at ground level and a deep roof overhang protects against overheating during the summer when the sun is high in the sky. The main entrance and guest WC, as well as the fitness and wellness area, are located at the rear, on the north side of the building, on level 0. A few steps lead one level higher into the heart of the home – a spacious living area with an open kitchen. A noteworthy feature of this area is the view of the lake, which is revealed by three floor-length cero sliding windows along the entire width of the building. Another special architectural feature is the protruding, almost three-metre-deep loggia: it can be fully opened along its entire breadth, thanks to slide-and-turn elements mounted on an all-glass balustrade.
On the second and uppermost level of the building, there is an open multifunctional room with a glass wall for sound insulation from the stairwell and an additional bedroom and bathroom. From every room in the house, large cero sliding windows with barely visible glass guardrails provide views of the mountain landscape, while the bathroom is bathed in atmospheric light by the light seam that runs around the circumference of the house.
Loggia as an energy-saving climate buffer zone
The filigree all-glass elements of the Proline T system from Solarlux, which allow the loggia to be fully closed, turn the roofed pergola into a climate buffer zone. Architect Dr. Peter Kuczia explains the energy principle: “This double-skin facade, consisting of thermally insulated cero sliding windows on the inside and non-insulated slide-and-turn elements on the outside, contributes significantly to the ability to naturally control the indoor climate of the Solarlux house. By actively opening and closing one or both elements, warm or cold is let into and out of the house as needed. The result is a pleasant room temperature, adapted to user needs and individually controllable.” Narrow gaps of only three millimetres between the glass elements ensure the necessary air circulation when closed. On hot summer days, the system can simply be folded up and parked out of the way as a slim glass bundle. This prevents heat build-up and expands the living space with high-quality outdoor space and a close connection to nature.
Warm wood aesthetic
The reduced, yet high-quality design principle of the building's shell is continued on the interior: all walls, ceilings and floors are clad with wood cladding made of white, oiled ash. This creates a warm living atmosphere. The effect is seen most strikingly in the stairwell, where all components transition seamlessly into one another and even the transparent banister contributes to the continuous look. The wide staircases invite you to sit and relax, an offer that is most often taken up by young visitors. Architect Kuczia describes this concept as “Living Stairs” and, with it, uses the challenging sloped location of the plot to create an architectural experience in the Solarlux house.
Regenerative energy and electricity generation
As well as architecture befitting the location, the sustainability of the concept house was an important priority for the client. Accordingly, a heat pump with geothermal probes was the optimal choice of heat source for the in-wall and underfloor heating. In addition, photovoltaic panels have been built into the south side of the roof, so the house can generate solar electricity. The panels are brown in colour to make them less conspicuous, blending in with the aesthetic of the larch wood cladding that is also used as a fifth facade on the north side of the roof.
Low-tech over high-tech
The ventilation concept in the Solarlux house is simple and uses the “chimney effect”: cool air is drawn in from a less elevated part of the property near the lake and channelled into the house from the garage via the walk-in ground duct. From there, fresh air is distributed through the interior via ceiling fans and let out through the solar chimney with automatic ventilation flaps. An intelligent control system controls the effective combination of ventilation flaps, sliding windows, fans and shading elements. This low-tech principle has already been tried and tested in the architect’s earlier construction projects for Solarlux and was developed together with Thomas Auer, professor of building technology and climate-friendly construction at the Technical University of Munich.
Sustainable use of local resources
The Solarlux house exemplifies how buildings with a high standard of living can be constructed sustainably and in harmony with the surrounding natural environment. Making optimal use of the local conditions is pivotal. The large glass front on the south side captures the warmth of the sun, while the large double-skin facade in the loggia naturally regulates the indoor climate. The integrated photovoltaic system on the roof generates electricity. Cool, fresh air streams from the lake into the house and is used for air conditioning. Geothermal probes take advantage of the earth’s constant temperatures in all weathers. Last but not least, the north side of the building is fully enclosed, keeping heat inside the house.
