If you want to realise the dream of your own home today, the search often begins with space, privacy and proximity to nature. This project demonstrates that these qualities can also be achieved in the very heart of Salzburg’s historic old town. Its ambition is to establish a holistic and contemporary model of living based on an environmentally responsible and sustainable way of life.

An energy-efficient house was therefore created within the dense fabric of Salzburg’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. Building in such a sensitive context required an intensive engagement with the existing urban structure, as well as considerable persistence throughout the planning and implementation process. At the same time, the project seeks to strengthen the idea of the compact European city by bringing living and working together in one place.

The design focuses on efficient use of space, functionality and comfort — in essence, “everything one could wish for” within a highly constrained urban site. Workplace, living space and areas for recreation are organised vertically across several levels and brought together under one roof. A particular objective was to achieve a high degree of autonomy, both in terms of energy consumption and quality of life.

Approximately 35 m² of photovoltaic panels generate more electricity than is required for heating, household appliances and lighting. As the site receives limited direct sunlight throughout the day, panels were selected that perform efficiently even under diffuse light conditions.

Following a principle that was typical of medieval urban building typologies, the ground floor accommodates a commercial use — in this case, an architectural studio. The office itself was originally established in the 1990s within a former motorcycle workshop that had been left vacant. Suspended storage cabinets for architectural drawings are mounted on rails fixed to steel I-beams beneath the ceiling and can be moved freely through the space. This allows the studio to be easily reconfigured for different uses, including exhibitions and events.

Acoustically absorbent wall surfaces improve the room’s sound quality while also allowing drawings and working documents to be pinned directly to the walls. The main working area is slightly elevated and set back from the street, creating a subtle degree of separation without disconnecting the studio from the public realm. The private residential area is accessed through a separate entrance from the street.

Despite the extremely high density of the site — the plot measures only around 130 m² — the private part of the building, beginning on the first floor, was conceived to provide the spatial qualities of a detached house. This level incorporates a generous outdoor area with a genuine roof garden, including sufficient soil depth to support substantial planting, as well as a small outdoor pool.

A central aspect of the design was the possibility of moving around the building externally, much as one would around a detached house. Interior floor area was therefore deliberately sacrificed in favour of generous outdoor space and a stronger relationship with the garden.

At the same time, the entire level functions as a kind of winter garden and is extensively glazed. This creates a clear distinction between the upper volume and the more solid elements of the building while establishing strong visual connections both to the surrounding city and to the private garden. Interior and exterior become closely intertwined: one effectively lives within the garden, while large sliding glazing allows the boundaries between inside and outside to almost disappear.

The more private rooms are located on the upper levels. Bedroom, bathroom and other intimate spaces become increasingly secluded as one moves upwards through the house. Here too, framed views and carefully positioned openings establish visual relationships across the building and towards its surroundings, maintaining a continuous dialogue between interior, garden and city.

In terms of materiality, the project deliberately relies on durable, authentic and environmentally responsible materials. Lime-based surfaces, timber, steel and other materials are used in a way that preserves their natural character and tactile qualities rather than concealing them.

The result is a building that combines, within a footprint of only 130 m², the qualities of the compact European townhouse with the expectations of contemporary living: light, air, privacy, access to outdoor space and the sense of inhabiting a home of one’s own.

The project can therefore be understood both as a utopian proposition and as a countermodel to the continuing trend of urban flight and its consequences — urban sprawl, increasing mobility requirements and the gradual erosion of vibrant inner-city life.

“We, the inhabitants of our city, must create our own cultural environment. We need spaces of projection that allow for constant transformation and the formation of identity. The goal is to foster a discussion of broader issues — far beyond aesthetics.”
— Christine & Horst Lechner, Keinem seine Gestalt, Zurich, 1997