Haus für Julia und Björn in Austria by Innauer-Matt Architekten

This house, designed by the Austrian architecture practice Innauer-Matt Architekten, is situated in Egg, a small town in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Due to the inclination and the narrow nature of the premises, the clear layering of the building follows the contour lines and makes use of the sloping ground.

Innauer-Matt Architekten: ‘The appearance of the house goes beyond what is merely practical. A lattice structure comprising of wooden rails encases the entire building. Although it functions as weather protection, it is more a dress, carefully woven, both concealing and revealing at the same time. However, because the house is built in the countryside, the decoration is intentionally discreet but does not lose anything by the fact that the house is clearly structured, has a steep roof and structural elements such as roof cantilevers.’

The main entrance is arranged on the first floor, and a staircase connects it to the ground floor where the living area spans across the whole building. Two terraces open up under lime tree towards the east and walnut tree to the west. A large window with a bench offers a spectacular view of the village beneath and the surrounding mountain scenery. The efficient wood burning stove, which divides the living area in the middle, functions both for heating and to produce hot water. Contrary to the spaciousness of the ground floor, the private rooms of the first floor are arranged more densely. However, these rooms don’t look cramped, due to their height and a gallery-like extension to the roof that provide them with extra floor area.

All furnishings and floors are made from solid spruce taken from the woods nearby. These elements alternate with handmade plaster surfaces produced on-site from light gray marble powder.