grassy 'freiform' house is embedded into the tyrolean landscape

the house with the organic roof

Nestled into the hillside of Chiusa, Italy, a house dubbed ‘Freiform’ is playfully designed to take in the sweeping views of its Tyrolean surroundings. Its contemporary interiors are enclosed with walls of full-height glass, allowing for an unobstructed view of the impressive landscape. The dwelling is topped by an amorphous green roof, its defining feature, which lends an organic profile and serves to integrate the architecture into its natural context. Inside, the sixty-five square-meter home provides an intimate atmosphere, its open plan layout including a seating area, kitchen, and bedroom, all opening out with panoramic views.

images © Tobias Kaser | @tobiaskaser_photo

‘freiform’ celebrates its natural surroundings

Sited outside the Tyrolean village in Italy, just south of the Austrian border, the Freiform house is designed by architect Martin Gruber with the outdoors in mind. While the dwelling largely opens out toward the distant valley, the living area leads to an intimate, shaded terrace embedded into the grassy slope — a sheltered space with a physical connection with the landscape to contrast the wide open interiors and their distant views. With its pared-back materiality of exposed concrete, wood, and glass, along with its minimal furnishings, the house looks outward to emphasize its natural surroundings.

‘Freiform provides an experience of immediate tranquility due to the blurred boundary between inside and outside,’ comments the architect. ‘Being in the middle of nature, one can dream in bed while watching the stars or clouds.’

The Freiform house invites guests to completely disconnect within the nature of northern Italy. The landscape around the house is lush and green, filled with trees and wildflowers, with distant views of the layered mountains. ‘The guesthouse is like an organism,’ the architect continues. ‘Outside the hard shell, made of concrete and glass, inside soft and made of organic material like wood and loden.’

Hosting a double bed along with a daybed adaptable for two, the house is an ideal retreat for two to four guests — it is now available for rent via Welcome Beyond.