P. Residence
Mr. Peneder bought a decades-old house on a remarkably beautiful western slope in the lakeland region of Upper Austria. The building substance was bad; years of water undermining had caused numerous cracks. Tom Lechner was contacted as he had caught the attention of the Peneder steel construction company managing director during his ski holidays in the Pongau region.
The damage analysis and design process resulted in an intelligent integration of approximately a quarter of the existing building, which can be best seen in the swiveled position of the wellness area.
A long concrete volume cantilevers over the old plinth. Beginning with the upper structure on the street side – where the meditation room offers a panoramic view – the building steps down the slope. The undermost volume is carefully embedded into the topography. Lower than the original house, it is articulated with precise openings and tumbled concrete surfaces. At the same time, the windows and protected terraces open up astounding views to the mountain landscape, in the west even to Lake Attersee.
The design convincingly combines openness with reticence by means of differentiated structural layers. From the street a single-flight staircase leads down to the enclosed inner courtyard with the main entrance. The kitchen is oriented toward this attractive atrium, which also offers a spot in the morning sun. The spatial structure of the living area follows the landscape, unfolding from the dining room to a free-standing bar element and a sitting area. Directly northwest is the adjacent sleeping area.
The outer appearance is characterized by the tumbled concrete and the timber as a second layer or cladding; rough sawn silver fir elements are inscribed into the austere main structure. The surface textures are more refined in the interior. Walls of exposed concrete and bandsawn silver fir, the oak floor, and the subtle structure of the acoustic ceiling create a comfortable living atmosphere.
