courtesy Destilat

SITUATION

The woodside property which slopes down steeply to the Danube lies at the foot of the Pöstlingberg – surrounded by woods, fields and orchards – at the end of the settlement street.

The forest protection zone and the development plan only allow the building to be situated in the north-eastern part of the property.

The objective was to integrate into the building concept the uniqueness of the forest edge location, to ensure a simultaneous separation from the settlement while staging the view over the Danube Valley and over to the foothills of the Alps.

courtesy Destilat

ARCHITECTURE

The building’s floor plan is marked by the building windows and, following the topography, is stepped into split levels, which play with the surrounding outdoor space.

An exposed concrete body with flagged surface forms the center of the house. It penetrates the split levels staggered around it and is noticeably set into scene throughout the house by the surrounding constructions.

The split levels allow for different ceiling heights in all floors. The courtyard, cut into the upper floor, illuminates rooms on three levels, leaving neighbours to face a monolithic, closed-looking facade.

The fully glazed southern side opens on the upper floor to a framed structure with terrace floating just above garden-level. It leads the interior – flush from floor to ceiling – towards the exterior, naturally gives shadow to the glazing, protects against weathering and is the dominant element of design on the southern facade.

courtesy Destilat

FLOOR PLAN

On its back side or road side, the building appears as a single storey. The cantilevered projecting roof of the carport arouses curiosity and leads visitors to the entrance.

The entrance, with attached dressing room, surprises with its fully glazed view into the courtyard.

A short staircase along the exposed concrete body leads, half a floor deeper, into the family centre of the house. The kitchen leans elegantly against the concrete cube, the ceiling and two-sided glazing surrounds the dining table and a reveals a view into the Danube Valley and, through the lateral terrace, into the private garden laid out one-fourth of a floor deeper.

courtesy Destilat

Past the kitchen, a broad staircase leads to a four-meter high air space and into the living room which lies just under garden level, which, like the rooms for sleeping and working, are arranged around the courtyard. The living room is attached to a terrace cut into the garden, with a barbecue place along the supporting wall at the edge of the property.

The exposed concrete body seems to float two meters twenty above the living room – an exciting mix of spatial perceptions: the elevated vis-à-vis the squat.

Cut into the ground are the guest bathroom, the equipment room and the studio. The latter is one and a half storeys high, is connected to the courtyard and serves residents as a creative area.

One last time, a short connecting staircase leads to the basement where the kids' rooms with side rooms and level exit leads into a terrace garden supported by a stone wall, adapted from property remains.

The exposed concrete pool is boldly cantilevered over the supporting stone wall and seals off the terraced garden from the private garden area above.

courtesy Destilat

MATERIAL

The noble scratch plaster chosen for the facade in the form of a medium-layer stone render with portions of stone, sand, limestone, ceramic, with added mica and selected grains and its earth-like colouring underline the individual character of the house.

It stands in contrast to the consistently white colouring in the interior of the house, which allows the exposed concrete body to become elegantly visible.

Pine boards have been applied to the undersides of the cantilevered roofs of the carport and terrace, giving the outdoor spaces a special feel.

The floor was kept light-coloured, with white cement applied in several stages and then grinded.

The wood-aluminium windows are glazed white in the interior and are coated outside with gray aluminium.

+ All images and drawings courtesy Destilat

Sponsored by Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Association of Ceramics comprised of 150+ ceramic tile manufacturers) and the Italian Trade Commission, the 2013 competition is open to North American architects and designers who have featured Italian ceramic tile in their institutional, residential, and commercial/hospitality spaces completed between January 2008 and January 2013. Projects can range from hotels and shopping centers to gymnasiums and single-family homes—we want to see them all! The competition is completely digital and FREE to enter!

Winners in each category will be awarded $4,000 + a five-day trip to Italy!

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2012 Winners

+ Press release

CALL FOR ENTRIES: 2013 CERAMICS OF ITALY TILE COMPETITION
Celebrating Design Excellence for Twenty Years

(December 2012) Confindustria Ceramica – the Italian Association of Ceramics comprised of over 150 Italian ceramic tile manufacturers – and the Italian Trade Commission announce the official call for entries for the 2013 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition. Now in its 20th year, the competition honors the exceptional work of North American architects and designers who have featured Italian ceramic tiles in their institutional, residential, and commercial/hospitality projects. It celebrates the pairing of innovative design ideas and products from leading manufacturers of Italian ceramic tile in creating spaces that are well appointed, versatile, timeless, and sustainable. Recent winners include Fractal Construction, Leo A. Daly and RSP Architects.

For the 20th edition of the competition, North America-based architects and interior designers are invite to submit new or renovated domestic and international projects completed between January 2008 and January 2013. A special panel of design experts will judge the projects based on their creativity, functionality, and aesthetic appeal. The official criterion for the jury includes: overall design of the project; innovative use of tile; tile design; quality of installation; degree to which tile enhances the setting; and the project’s sustainable attributes.

Winners will be announced at the Ceramics of Italy International Press Conference during Coverings in Atlanta, Georgia from April 29 – May 2, 2013, where the winners will present their projects to the public. The winning architect/designer in each category will receive a cash prize of $4,000 and a 5-day trip to Bologna, Italy to attend Cersaie 2013—the world’s largest exhibition for ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings. An additional $1,000 will be awarded to the winning contractor/tile distributor team in each category.

The Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition is completely digital and free to enter. The online application, guidelines and an inspirational archive of winning projects from the past 20 years are available on the competition’s official website www.tilecompetition.com. Deadline for entries: February 6, 2013.

Max Ptk designed the LED lamp series SAPPORO TREE. This LED lamp series was created under the inspiration by the natural beauty of the winter trees. Natural forms of these lamps can be very harmonious complement any modern and classic interiors.

courtesy Max Ptk

courtesy Max Ptk