House in Birre

Through a process of fragmentation, the inner world of the house is revealed. This is expressed through a design based on the idea of partially eroding the maximum permissible building volume, by introducing a sequence of courtyards, partially reducing the upper floor, and almost completely dividing the ground floor into two halves.

The design of the house responds to the particular conditions of its programme, both in terms of use and the requested building area. The owners established a clear functional division into two autonomous halves — the main residence and a guest wing — while choosing to build considerably less than the maximum permitted area.

In essence, the project is conceived as a fragmented, somewhat porous house, positioned at the centre of a garden. Given the limited size of the plot, the garden is reduced to the perimeter around the built volume, reappearing at specific points through a series of stone courtyards carved into the house.

Through this process of fragmentation and erosion, the inner world of the house is revealed. The design partially erodes the maximum permissible building volume through the introduction of a sequence of courtyards, the partial reduction of the upper floor, and the almost complete separation of the ground floor into two halves — owners and guests — connected only by an almost entirely dematerialised corridor.

The courtyards, which as voids divide the built volume into two halves, introduce different atmospheres and notions into the house: 1 — the Water Courtyard; 2 — the Time Courtyard; 3 — the Matter Courtyard.