FOUR VOLUMES FOR ONE PLACE
The house is situated in the northern part of Bad Vöslau, in an area that has undergone significant transformation over time. What was once a vineyard and a childhood playground for the client is now a diverse residential neighbourhood shaped by detached houses and larger housing structures.
The project brings together four distinct volumes, each defined by its specific program, to form a compact and clearly articulated whole. Toward the street, the building appears solid and introverted, almost defensive in character, with its mass only subtly structured by floor-to-ceiling glazing between the volumes. In contrast, the garden façade opens up generously, allowing interior spaces to flow naturally into the landscape.
Each volume is constructed in monolithic brickwork. Their tactile, handcrafted quality is emphasized by a layered mineral plaster finish, reinforcing the building’s robust, almost archaic presence. Deeply recessed window openings further enhance this sense of solidity. The connecting zones between the volumes are spanned by timber-formwork concrete slabs and clad in charred locally sourced larch, clearly distinguishing them from the primary masses.
Inner development is organized through the tallest volume, a three-storey tower that serves as the vertical anchor of the ensemble.
Its form references the ‘Jubiläumswarte’ on the nearby hill ‘Harzberg’, a landmark visible from afar and designed by Anton Kainrath, a former city architect and ancestor of the client.
A deliberately compressed entrance height intensifies the perception
of weight and verticality.
The interior layout is conceived as a sequence of loops and deliberately directed dead ends directed to the street, guiding movement and views. The entrance space is kept dark and atmospheric, defined by smoked oak and black polished terrazzo and illuminated only by diffuse light.
Carefully placed openings provide glimpses toward the garage - one of the four volumes- on one side and draw the eye forward into the living and dining areas on the other.
The main living space extends over more than 16 meters along the garden façade, fully glazed from floor to ceiling and complemented by a covered terrace.
To the east, a third volume adjoins the space, currently used as a home office and designed to later accommodate a ground-level bedroom with an accessible bathroom. Soft morning light enters through deep, vertical openings.
Inside, the thickness of the exterior walls is spatially articulated through built-in elements such as a fireplace, reading niches, and custom furniture, forming the southernmost volume of the composition. A six-meter-long kitchen runs along the glazed façade, acting as a unifying element between the various functions. Materials such as waxed concrete, timber-textured concrete ceilings, and green natural stone continue the restrained material language of the living areas.
A stair leads to an intermediate level with reduced ceiling height, used for storage and dressing, before continuing upward to the private living spaces at the top of the house. Here, the material palette shifts noticeably: exposed concrete and dark window frames give way to light mineral plaster and spruce-framed windows, flush-set into the walls like framed views. A loggia opens the garden façade and establishes a visual connection to the Harzberg tower. Adjacent to it lies the bathroom, with a shower positioned above the stairwell and oriented toward the landscape.
Throughout the house, spatial quality emerges from the change between enclosure and openness and creates a well-balanced division between privacy and visual connection.
Architectural sun protection is an integral part of the design. West-facing floor level glaced windows are covered on three sides, while openings to the east are narrow and set back to reduce solar gain. Window sizes are carefully calibrated and positioned within the reveals to provide maximum self-shading. This passive strategy significantly limits summer overheating and is complemented by a cooling system based on an air-source heat pump, powered by an on-site photovoltaic system with battery storage.
