Art for Art House

The construction phase for the Art for Art House in Haringsee lasted only two months. The prototype of a multifunctional prefabricated house - the outcome of fifteen year's research - with mixed types of construction and passive solar heating, combines the advantages of load bearing walls with frame construction: precise prefabrication and detailing, quick assembly and frugal use of material are teamed up with termal mass. The result is an economical building. In the north a two-storey load bearing core in reinforced concrete contains the circulation and the rooms furnished with water. The service zone is adaptable and can be expanded in accordance with customers'requirements and preferences, or adapted to the topography;t he elevated pavillon with its large-format glazing, executed in frame construction, docks onto it. The clearly structured building accommondates a number of different floor plans, from a one-room studio to smaller cubicles; likewise, it also accommodates a variety of uses, such as residence atelier, office unit, or pre-school. Beneath it the covered space can be used as a carport or for recreation purposes. The engineered plywood supports incorporate both the technical infrastructure - including wiring conduit - and the trench accommodating the peripheral floor convector. With minimal utilisation of steel, relatively large spans with cantilevers are obtained and the depth of the members is kept to a minimum. In addition a structural laminated-board assembly serves simultaneously as finished flooring and as insulation. The floor-to-ceiling oprerable ventilation elements in oiled larch, the black-pigmented, waxed-concrete trombe wall at the north, and the south-facing skylight are all involved in the passive solar concept. At the same time, these features play an important role in the building`s pared-down aesthetics. A thermal buffer zone, furnished with vertical louvres, provides sun and glare protection - as well as offering privacy - ensuring that the regulation of the interior climate can be individual and flexible.