Innauer Matt Architekten . photos: © Dominic Kummer
Embedded in the mountain landscape of the Bregenzerwald, between the Bödelestraße and the threshold to Schwarzenberg, a wooden gem is hidden between a handful of wildly grown trees and bushes.
A summer house had been planned for this site back in the 1970s but ended up not being built. What remained from that time was a completed excavation, a slope secured with formwork stones, an overgrown driveway and the existing trees. With these preconditions in mind, the House Heuberg was thought up – with a minimal footprint and a simple yet distinct architectural language it creates a small but special retreat.
From the outside, the house appears as a delicate wooden structure, from whose façade a ‚display window‘ stretches out into each direction. Behind a wooden gate on the west façade is the porch of the house, where hiking boots are taken off and a winter supply of firewood is kept. The living areas and bedrooms are arranged along a short corridor, where the large windows reveal the view into the surroundings. While the window in the dining room shows the multifaceted mountain panorama of the Bregenzerwald, the view from the bedrooms is particularly focused on the vegetation surrounding the house. From a covered terrace facing south, one can partake of nature in the shade when it is sunny and in the dry when it rains.
The timber construction rests on point foundations that lift the building slightly off the ground. This way, it was particularly easy to deal with the topography and at the same time naturally protect the house from rising damp. The aspiration for simplicity was also carried over into the further detailing. As such, the house was planned and built as a prefabricated timber construction with handcrafted details. All structural elements were reduced to the utmost minimum and designed in such a way that they can easily be separated from one another. The load-bearing glulam panels are both construction and interior fittings and create a homely atmosphere in the rooms. An inconspicuous but exceptional second home has been created in the middle of the mountain landscape.
Text: IMA
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