House EggO

The task of the design was to create a separate residential unit in the garden of the recently reconstructed house. It was necessary to deal with the dominance of the opposite panel building façade, avoid confrontation with the architecture of the original house, and find a solution that does not interfere with the space of the garden.
The starting point for the design became the existing fragments of the reconstruction of the original house: a cantilevered concrete slab with an external staircase, a wall by the entrance gate, and parking spaces defined by gabions. The existing walls made of concrete blocks in the X and Y plane were complemented by a horizontal slab in the Z plane. This slab became the main spatial organizational element and bearer of the pivotal motif; an ovoid-shaped opening. The slab serves as a horizontal interface to which all height relations relate. With its subtlety, it delineates the new building from the compact plaster architecture of the existing house. It covers and unifies a variety of functions; garage and bike storage, access terrace with a windbreak, main living space, living terrace, and fencing. The ovoid in this slab defines the focal point around which the new house unfolds. It defines the ego of the house, whose essence is not architectural but rather the natural space of the original garden with preserved mature trees. All energy concentrates in this focal point to create a psychological barrier against the dominance of the opposite panel building façade. Space and light escape from the micro-world of the garden through distances and views between freely composed slabs.
The house itself, on the other hand, has a firm definition through functional blocks. From the large entrance hall, one enters an autonomous study and into the private zone. The private zone is strictly divided into intimate and social parts. The intimate part is oriented towards the eastern façade with its own terrace, while the social part faces the garden atrium. The kitchen cabin in the form of a block connects directly to the social area. The dining and living hall has the character of a glazed pavilion - a winter garden. Its fragile space is reinforced by a screen of a horizontal wall with the symbol of home - a fireplace. It leads directly to a covered living terrace.
As compensation for the built-up area of the house, a rooftop garden was created, height-wise connecting to the apartment on the upper floor of the originally reconstructed house.