A house within a house – Switzerland

The clients’ desire was to live in a timber house. However, located in Vitznau, Switzerland the challenging geology combined with the hillside location prompted alp Architektur Lischer Partner to design a solid construction in which the hard shell of the concrete facade encases and protects the soft core of the timber house. The prefabricated timber frames were erected, sealed and insulated on site and clad with single skin concrete. The timber construction stands as ‘a house within a house’. Which helped optimise load bearing dimensions.
The house anchors into the hillside, a bridge leads to an open courtyard with a garage and the entrance to the house. The family rooms, such as the dining and living rooms, are situated on the top floor. The bedrooms on the two lower floors are accessed by two opposing staircases.
The air-blown concrete facade was executed in Wesen gravel that adopts the reddish colour and graininess of the prominent rock face behind the house. The entire wooden casing (floors, walls, ceiling) is executed in larch wood block panels, the timber can also be seen from outside through the openings and recesses. Large windows framed in larch emphasises the impressive views of the Lake Lucerne landscape.