HHF architects' house H floats above the terrain using glass and reflective materials

HHF architects has collaborated with the munich firm of jacob & spreng for house H, a private residence in starnberg, germany, for a family of five. finished in glass and reflective façade elements made of chrome-plated steel – which provide for the necessary degree of privacy – the structure’s open ground floor seems to blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.

all images © jonathan sage

HHF architects and jacob & spreng drew from the property’s topography in developing house H‘s floor slab of the upper level as a residential landscape floating above the terrain. cast in pigmented concrete, the floor incorporates space-defining steps that accommodate height differences between the kitchen area, the dining room, and the living room, while the surrounding wooden deck emphasizes the floating ondition as well as the link between inside and outside.

various species of wood have been used in the integrated furniture and the façades, including elm for the kitchen, larch for the facade, and silver fir for the wall cladding, all depending on the best choice for each specific use. a maple stair takes the residents to the more private rooms on the upper floor, which, clad with rough-cut larch siding, contains three children’s rooms with a shared bathroom and the parents’ bedroom with a private bathroom.

project info:

architect: HHF with jacob & spreng

program: private residence

location: starnberg, germany

team HHF: herlach hartmann frommenwiler  with david gregori y ribes

team jacob & spreng: christoph jacob and bettina spreng

gross floor area: 480 m2