Gauting
2013 - 2014
Based on the vernacular architecture of the 50s a two-storey, simple cubic building with a flat roof, west oriented loggia and geometrically matched carport has been developed in cooperation with the owner couple. The appearance of traditional alpine houses with solid ground and "wooden" upper floor was taken up with modern elements in the architectural language of the new building.
The house has two zones: to the north are infrastructure provision, bathrooms and the kitchen, in the south the living and sleeping quarters. A part of the ceiling-high glassed living area is open to the gallery on the upper floor and gives high transparency and translucence in conjunction with the open loggia. Indigenous materials such as oak, larch and Jurassic limestone with their natural surfaces create a warm, homely atmosphere. For the interior finish the client couple has chosen a high standard.
The construction was assigned to "Gruber Natural Wood Houses" after a general contractor tender. The company is specialised in houses based on prefabricated elements and allows to implement custom designs with a great flexibility. Walls, ceilings and facades incl. windows and insulation layers are assembled in the factory to large sized elements. So in spring 2014 the entire building including roof and cladding could be deployed within three days on the basement, assembled also from precast concrete components.
The energy concept comprises several components: The narrow building was oriented with its long side facing south to collect passive energy due to a high proportion of glass there and to achieve best heat protection by a high proportion of an all-insulated facade in the north. All windows and sliding glass elements in wood-aluminum construction are triple-glazed. In the basement the compact structure was insulated overleaf, the wood frame construction on the ground floor, the upper floor and the flat roofs habe been highly insulated with mineral wool or sloping insulation panels. An air-to-air heat pump provides water heating for domestic hot water and underfloor heating. Throughout the ground floor, a massive stone pavement was laid to increase the heat storage mass. A heat recovery ventilation system makes it possible to minimize the ventilation heat losses. In the east, south and west remote controlled venetian blinds were installed in front of the window, they serve for solar glare and sight protection.