casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects

designed by leopold banchini architects, casa ccff is an environmentally-friendly urban house overlooking geneva’s industrial train station. the design of the exterior mimics the surrounding industrial shed roof profiles, while the interior incorporates a large open volume, filled with sunlight. external views are carefully framed to create a brightly lit intimacy in this highly urbanized environment.

all images by dylan perrenoud

on the first floor, two internal gardens divide the living spaces and invite nature into the heart of the house. banchini has created overlaying transparencies that blur the boundaries between interior and exterior. under the suspended volume, a generous covered space allows for outdoor living and parking. each architectural element placed in the square plan is specifically designed for the simple building and by using economical materials and prefabrication, the construction costs have been minimized.

framed view from the interior garden

developed with engineer marc walgenwitz, the house is built almost entirely in wood, pushing the structural capacities of this natural material to its limits and reducing the use of concrete to a bare minimum. by achieving high insulation values and maximizing solar gain, a small heat pump allows the building to avoid the consumption of fossil fuels. assembled in a few days by local carpenters, casa ccff proposes an eco-friendly alternative to the archetype of swiss concrete houses.

the kitchen space filled with light

covered transparent ground floor

living and parking space under the suspended volume

interior transparencies through landscaped courtyard

detail of the marbled kitchen furniture

overview of the interior from the rear to the front façade

the interior bathed in sunlight

elevation and sections

ground floor

first floor

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edited by: lynne myers | designboom