House A, Dornbirn (AT)
New building
Client: Private
Location: A-6850 Dornbirn
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Construction: 2008 – 2009Area: 252 m²
Programme: Single-family house made of wood on a solid base
Photos: Bruno Klomfar
Team
Eva Dorn, Felix Kruck, Peter Nussbaumer (Project management)
Text: Gerlinde Jüttner
Partners
Statics: Mader & Flatz, Bregenz
Building services: teamgmi, Dornbirn
Electrics: Hecht, Rankweil
General contractor: i+R Schertler-Alge, Lauterach
Awards
- Häuser Award , Award
- Holzbaupreis Vorarlberg, Award
Timeless beauty in wood
On a mountain meadow above Dornbirn, we built a timeless, beautiful house in wood and glass. Conscious of tradition and at the same time straightforwardly modern, it shows respect for the landscape, but without any false rustic flair. With its clear cubature, flat pitched gable roof and wooden outer skin, the building blends into the surrounding landscape with the same respect and restraint as the traditional farmhouses in the region.
Wood is the dominant material, inside and out. The floor-to-ceiling glazed rooms are orientated towards the south-west with beautiful views of the countryside and the valley. Exits at ground level lead to the loggia in front, which is adjoined by the garden.
The house is set on the edge of the steeply sloping meadow to the south-west on the outskirts of Kehlegg, a hamlet above Dornbirn. This hillside location gives rise to the polarity between the single-storey street façade and the two-storey valley façade, as well as the functional division into an upper living level and a sleeping level below, which is at ground level to the garden.
On the driveway side, the house forms a triangular courtyard with a flat garage made of exposed concrete. A single-flight staircase leads from the entrance to the lower floor with the private retreats for parents and children.
Play of light and shadow
The great value we place on precision craftsmanship can already be seen in the façade: A screen of horizontal silver fir mouldings envelops the building as the outermost layer. It encloses the loggias and external staircase and overlaps with the ceiling-high glass or wooden walls on the inside. This results in a fascinating interplay of light and shadow, an exciting alternation between open and closed areas, unobstructed views of the landscape panorama and room zones protected from view.
ONE room to live in
As soon as you enter the elongated house, its floor plan becomes apparent: The living level is designed as a continuous, all-round glazed living/dining area without partition walls, visually zoned only by the fireplace. A barrier-free granny flat is located at the western end of the building.
