Living surrounded by the brilliance of natural light

The new home for a young family is located on the outskirts of a small settlement in the South of Austria's Burgenland region and is harmoniously placed into the hilly landscape. The traditional and typical L-shaped floor plan of the region was developed further in an imaginative and thoughtful way advancing modern home, energy and living concepts. The client wished for a contemporary living experience that is blended into the surrounding landscape. The result is a surprising habitat that reflects the way the family lives incorporating design quality, sustainability and functionality in everyday life. The L-House is an avant-garde architectural gem that merges the needs of it's residents with the environment.

L-Form

The typical and historical L-shaped building type oft he region provided the impetus for the architects to translate the typology into the 21st century with this distinct landmark structure. Developing the form created a protected courtyard and the separate living and sleeping zones the family asked for. The generous glass areas create plenty of natural light and extend the living space visually into the garden and the hills behind it.

Living Structure

Cantilevering the corner of the L-shape created a covered entrance area that leads into a two-story foyer and a courtyard. The upper level is divided into a bedroom and a living-dining-kitchen zone. Between the two areas is a continuous open space that is flexible and can be altered over the years by the residents. Currently the space is being used as a children’s play and reading area.

Natural Light

The house, with 300 m2 of usable floor area, impresses with its generous views of idyllic rolling hills flooding the interior with natural light. The deliberate and expressive building form establishes a dialogue with its surrounding landscape and feels light and airy. At the same time, the building achieved the very stringent local classification of an ultra-low-energy-house by using triple panel glassing. Additionally, the building's orientation and its deep overhangs increased the comfort and lowered the energy costs for the inhabitants. Light, design and comfort are the key elements of this bright gem in Southern Burgenland.

+ Project facts

Architecture: Architects Collective ZT GmbH
Location: Burgenland, Austria
Planning Period: 09/2009 – 01/2010
Construction Period: 10/2010 – 02/2012
Usable floor area: 300 m² (excluding garage and technical rooms)
Gross floor area: 450 m² (including garage and technical rooms)
Building volume: 1850 m³
Construction: Reinforced concrete / partial steel (canterlever) and wood (canopy)
Energy standard: “Very low-energy-house” (Niedrigstenergiehaus)
Heating demand: 20 kWh/m2a
Type of heating: Wood pellets central heating station (serving 3 single family houses)

Products & Materials

Facaden panels: Rieder FibreC Ferro FE Silver Grey (Fiberglas-Cement-Panels)
Glass Facades: Schüco FW60+ SI (triple-glass)
Window: Uw (window) = 0,80 W/m²K
Roof: Bauder Thermoplan triple-ply EPDM
Pellets heating: Sommerauer & Lindner
Sun screen: Valetta louvers
Sectional door: Belutec
Doors: Dana
Interior floor: Oak oiled
Bathroom floor: Slate
Exterior floor: Limestone
Bathroom: ceramics Laufen
Sanitary fittings: Vola
Lighting fixtures: Erco

Photographer: © Hertha Hurnaus / hehu@hurnaus.com

+ About Architects Collective

Architects Collective was founded in 2006 by Andreas Frauscher, Richard Klinger and Kurt Sattler in Vienna, Austria and has since worked internationally on projects in architecture, landscape and urban planning. Designs are created and advanced by a collective idea finding process where creativity and expertise complement each other. Among the completed projects of the office are the Klinikum Klagenfurt hospital complex, which received the Austrian Client Awards in 2011, the ultra-low-energy Leeb Fruit Orchard and the Ozuluama Residence in Mexico City for an artist-writer couple.

+ All images and drawings courtesy Architects Collective

+Quespacio just finished a new store in the City of Science, Valencia, called Piccino. Piccino is a store that brings kids clothes from Italian brands to the city of Valencia, like Brems and Bimbus.

Giving major importance to the clothes exposed in the store, the interior space is left mostly white. However 2 kids, inspired by the store-owners kids, welcome customers and their children with some playful and fresh colors. Kids, part of this sewing clothes shop, in which they work hard designing clothes for their new friends.

In a parodic way old furniture is represented by vinyls that combine shelves and actual furniture with silhouettes that are making fun of classic furniture. In the meantime the fresh colors used to represent the kids' work are getting back the modern touch to the store. Some magnetic pixels are giving the chance to the children to create their own clothes while others are watching an animation movie. Last but not least, the classic Lou Lou Ghost chair from Kartell seems to be made for this store.

Piccino invites you all to their new, fresh concept store bringing you their sewing clothes shop loved by young and old with an eye for little details.

+Quespacio in this project worked out again their philosophy of creating corporative projects using creativity, taking charge of the branding and the interior design of Piccino.

+ Project facts

Finished: 18/05/2012
Space: 38 m2
Client: Piccino
Address: Trafalgar 52, Local 5, 46023 Valencia (http://www.piccino.es)
Design: Masquespacio | http://www.masquespacio.com

+ About Ana Milena Hernández Palacios

Ana Milena Hernández Palacios was born in the colombian city Bogota the 28 of august 1982. From young age on she developed a creative talent participating in the decorative events from her mother. It was in 2001, at the age of 18 that she decided to start an adventure in Europe moving to Spain. There she worked the first years as a window dresser and responsible of merchandising for the stores of Maximoda. However as she was fascinated by the world of interior design she decided to start studying interior design at the well known designschool of Valencia Barreira. After finishing her studies she worked for a while in an architecture studio where she realized very soon that she wanted to develop her own style. The entrepreneurial spirit of her parents always had been very present and that's what convinced her without a doubt to launch +Quespacio. The aim with +Quespacio is very defined, design creative spaces taking in count the needs from her clients and involucrate the diferent areas of design with the goal to create added value for their establisments.

+ All images and drawings courtesy +Quespacio