perimeter balcony wraps marte marte-designed house by the lake

perimeter balcony wraps marte marte-designed house by the lake
photo © marc lins
all images courtesy of marte marte architekten

situated on a hillside site above bregenz, austria, ‘house by the lake’ opens on all sides to offer views of the surrounding landscape. designed by marte marte architekten, the concrete structure features a square plan and identical elevations on all four sides, with its upper floor and roof extending outward to allow for its perimeter balcony. the rectangular concrete volume, banded horizontally with glass windows and aluminum frames, emerges from the grassy terrain with its two lowest levels sunk below grade.

the rectangular volume is distinguished by its extended upper floor and roof
photo © marc lins

upon approach, one is able to ascend through the residence by means of an outdoor staircase on the north side of the site, or via the elevator accessed in the subterranean floor. above, the first story houses bedrooms, while the upper level contains public areas with 360° views of the city and lake. due to the high level of visual transparency, curtains wrap the glass façades’ interior to mediate privacy. from the perimeter balcony, a bridged walkway reaches an open deck on the upper side of the site.

the upper level perimeter patio extends to a deck on the upper side of the site
photo © marc lins

the house’s lowest two levels are sunk into the sloping site
photo © marc lins

the upper floor opens on all sides to views of the lake and city
photo © marc lins

photo © marc lins

due to the high level of visual transparency, curtains wrap the glass façades’ interior to mediate privacy
photo © marc lins

a structural core contains an elevator and staircase
photo © marc lins

photo © marc lins

photo © marc lins

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project info:

location: am brand, bregenz, vorarlberg, austria
dates: 2008 (planning), 2009-2010 (construction)
site area: 840 sqm
built-up area: 228 sqm
floor area: 277 sqm
volume: 2,110 cbm
construction: solid concrete construction, exposed on exterior, drywall finish on interior
flooring: plank flooring, oak
heating: geothermal heat pump
windows: aluminum windows double glazed
architecture: marte.marte architekten / bernhard marte, stefan marte
surveyor: wolfgang mattner, dornbirn
structural consultant: moosbrugger ingenieure ZT gmbh, dornbirn
construction physics: weithas gmbh, hard
ground engineering: 3P geotechnik, lauterach
heating/sanitation: steurer, andelsbuch
electrical services: schelling, schwarzach
building contractor: oberhauser & schedler, andelsbuch
drywall installation: kurzemann, dornbirn
aluminum windows: manahl, bings
solar protection: markus berthold, rankweil
tinsmith: tectum, hohenems
fire place: pfister & schnetzer, rankweil
kitchen: plan & raum, lustenau
glazier: glas längle, götzis
painter: schöch, klaus
photography: marc lins