mona

Vienna, Austria

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mona

Vienna, Austria

Firm

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2004

SIZE

10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

Originally the house was conceived and built with a combined entrance for two families on two stories. As a result of the small built-up area, a second entrance for the upper floor in the inside of the building was not possible. Therefore an external staircase was developed for the upper storey. The extension offers new possibilities for additional rooms, a new entry, and enables the
surgical separation of the two interwoven units. At the beginning of our planning of the mo.na house was the idea of stringing together all rooms along a rising pathway. In order to
minimize links to the existing structure, the new building winds itself respectfully
around the existing house and constitutes a covered terrace below the cantilevered
upper storey. The entry area connects the old and new buildings, extending itself
into the glazed overhead airspace and leading to the private spaces in the
upper storey. More than one-third of the new building volume was
used for stairs and airspace. In here movement and light are becoming a unique experience – the way up and down feels like floating in space, having a visual
connection to the outside in 3-dimensions. Then again led by the staircase and walls, you can feel the rotation of the structure passing the added airspace. The light flushed stairway is a surplus compared to the small dark rooms in the old building. The experience of the space becomes the basic and connecting detail. The cladding of the façade reflects the motion and progression of the structure. The windows were placed intentionally to create a visual connection between the garden and the rooms yet to shield the private spaces.