Lörrach House

The plot is located in a densely built-up area of single-family homes, which has developed over the past ten years in accordance to a strict land-use plan. Despite this constraint, the neighbourhood is relatively heterogeneous, with each house endeavouring to achieve individuality within the prescribed limits. A two-storey house with a footprint of about 100 m² is required to meet the needs of a young family.

The architectural design is dominated by a concrete casing – detached from the ground except for a few bearing points – spanning a hall-like space. The casing encloses a wooden structure separating interior from exterior space. This differentiation gives rise to distinctive areas between the envelope and core. These spatial extensions of the interior spaces are used as places to sit in or as a garage. The “buffer zones” between the house and its neighbourhood create an additional sense of intimacy. Cut-outs in the envelope and large circular holes in the concrete roof admit sufficient light and offer specifically directed views. Ground-floor access is via a narrow door in the gable wall. The elongated structure covered by a gable roof and featuring generous, multipartite glass areas is divided into two residential floors. Functional rooms such as kitchen and bathrooms are located along a building wall made of concrete. The ground floor ceiling recedes from the façade in places, creating building-height rooms connecting ground and upper floors. The master bedroom and a two-storey library are located at the rear of the house towards the garden. Access to the garden is through a door and a long narrow slit in the concrete envelope. A gallery leads to the children's rooms and the bathroom located on the upper floor.  The oversized doors can be left open to create a continuous playing area. Views of the outside garden or the sky are framed by the concrete roof or cut-outs in the facade.

The concreted building casing, which ends just above the ground, is supported by four peripheral inner columns and an internal core. A precisely integrated, dark monochromatic wooden construction is fitted under the concrete envelope and around the core. Subdivision of the rooms is achieved by means of further built-in wooden structures. The gravel of the covered exterior space continues as polished concrete flooring on the ground floor. Good illumination of the interior space and the visual extensions under the casing is guaranteed by large areas of segmented glazing. The interior space can also be expanded by opening the five doors to the outside.