* Residential Architecture: House D by HHF Architects

Residential Architecture: House D by HHF Architects: “..The view is one of a kind. You might imagine you’re in South America or upstate New York, and it is really hard to believe that Basel, Switzerland, is just 25 minutes away. As the last house to be built in Nuglar, in the canton of Solothurn, House D is privileged. It is oriented parallel to the landscape, thereby making the view a matter of prime importance. Across more than 180 degrees, you gaze over unbuilt, verdant land with mature fruit trees..HHF radically exploits this situation, thematizes it, and accentuates it even more with a few simple moves: The main level is an open space – with the kitchen as well as dining and living areas – and alongside a concrete core, the stair to the upper and lower floors. The space is entirely glazed and blends seamlessly with the space outdoors. The outdoor space itself is an oversized terrace. No more but also no less. The client, who lives here since the beginning of 2012, explicitly did not want a garden that he would have to maintain. And so he got a terrace with wood decking and a pool. Because the terrain slopes downward slightly, the wood deck is elevated, which protects the main living space from the curious glances of passers-by..The large terrace, which is emphasized through a simple gesture, is symbolic for the subtle radicalism with which HHF has approached the building task. The entire house is kept very simple, which is also manifested in the three basic materials: glass, wood and concrete. The simple and straightforward treatment of the outdoor space has its counterpart in an equally uncompromising interior. HHF is interested in working with what is available; they are not bent on developing elaborate details when industrially made products can be tailored to their needs. But they submit to the temptation to develop their own details when the market does not have something suitable available..The untreated wood of the ceilings and doors exhibits a raw immediacy that you would not expect to see in an exclusive home in a location like this. But any claim that House D is simple would be toying with the word. The house comprises 241 m2 of usable floor area on three floors, with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a gym, an office, and the living spaces mentioned at the outset. A separate garage with space for four cars and direct access into the house completes the list..”  Truly extensive glazing, abundant natural light, lovely views; interesting materiality, interior volumes, details..

See our posts on a home and a guesthouse by HHF Architects, in collaboration with Ai Weiwei:

• Residential Architecture: Tsai Residence by HHF Architects + Ai Weiwei
• Residential Architecture: Guesthouse by HHF architects + Ai Weiwei

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image: © Tom Bisig; article: Cifuentes , Fabian . “House D / HHF Architects” 02 Sep 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/267663&gt;

* Residential Architecture: House D by Pauhof Architekten

Residential Architecture: House D by Pauhof Architekten: “..House D is a single-family dwelling with an integrated studio-gallery. Built on a steep slope, it weaves itself into its immediate surroundings and at the same time alludes to the more distant mountain landscape..we conceived House D as a kind of joint that extends past the steep slope to connect the existing elements..The structure of the house – that is, the section and/or the floor plan – results from the unusual nature of the site. On the south side, the house extends along the entire length of the building line, forming a four-story stacked volume (approximate height difference: 12 m). Otherwise, the rounded contour of the plan abstractly follows the property line. The structuring of the interior spaces is an artificial reflection of the specific topographic situation. All views are choreographed to capture as much of the still intact surrounding landscape as possible while blocking out the immediate, less attractive neighborhood. The spiral course of circulation manifests itself in the hovering roof structure (a snaking timber construction) that follows the curve of the northward-facing atrium, winds upward, is briefly supported by the bedroom façade, and then continues off into the vineyard as a tapering pergola..Four floors, each with its own character, determine the spatial continuum. The lower level houses the semi-public, neutrally toned studio-gallery with fair-faced concrete walls and natural illumination from a side light and clerestory windows on the slope side. The entrance to the house leads via a wide, half-indoor, half-outdoor, concrete staircase to the domain of the lady of the house: a two-story-high studio library and adjacent work area with a glass wall looking down onto the gallery. Grouped around the quarter-circle-shaped void of the gallery are the children’s bedrooms, a guestroom, and the bath- and utility rooms. Colors and materials in general play an especially important role and were planned in an inspiring collaboration with the artist Manfred Alois Mayr from Bolzano..Along the vertical, load-bearing concrete slab, another staircase leads up to the main level of the house. Here we find the building’s only large-area interconnected level space with two directly adjacent terraces. On this floor the house opens out horizontally, encloses a kind of atrium with connected living and dining room areas, a kitchen, and the master bedroom. The low room height (2.44 m) and the black wooden slat ceiling (like the façade) impel the eye outward. A one-and-a-half meter high ribbon window directly below the ceiling cuts through half of the house, affording a 180° panoramic view of the mountains. The upper level – enclosed in an isolated wooden box – is a private space, a kind of cozy family room..On the construction of the house: concrete was used for the underground areas and the vertical load-bearing slabs; timber for all the visible volumes from the first floor upward. All outer façades and the atrium-level walls are covered with a flamed oak cladding. The atmosphere of the interior rooms is strongly determined by the materials used: waxed oak, split natural stone slabs, fair-faced concrete (sometimes with a boasted surface), black terrazzo flooring, bottle-green glass mosaic tiles, sisal walls..”  Extensive glazing, natural light, views, privacy; interesting materiality and interior volumes..

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image: © Mateo Piazza; article: “House D / Pauhof Architekten” 25 Aug 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/265974&gt;