A concrete box house located in the mountains of Austria,
near the village of Schnepfau, that was designed to have a minimal impact
on the surrounding landscape.
The sparsely populated
landscape is reflected in the simple form and basic materials chosen for the
design. The double shell is constructed without any horizontal construction
joints. The entire outer wall was constructed as one solid piece. In this way the
solid concrete hull corresponds to the simple mass of the surrounding
mountains. The grassland grows right to the edge of the building to emphasize
the concept of the house as a rock emerging from the ground naturally. In
addition, a small guest-house was included in the design that abides by the
same rules of design. It compliments and emphasizes the first by creating a
‘natural rock formation’ rather than a solitary monument.