Daluz Gonzalez Architekten

Casa Forest

best architects 17

Place

Studio

Photos

Alexandra Kreja & Philippe Wiget

Description

The southward-sloping plot not far from Basel is framed to the east and south by a beautiful deciduous forest. Breathtaking views into the dense, deep-green foliage in the summer and the leafless and airy branch structure in the winter were a decisive factor in calibrating the daylight and arranging the spaces in this home in interplay with the natural surroundings, becoming the leitmotif for the architecture. The wishes and the spatial programme envisaged by a family of five nature enthusiasts and art lovers could thus be strategically integrated into a compact crystalline sculpture – utilising the plot right to the boundary line. The differentiation between bedrooms and private areas on the one hand and airy open areas on the other (entryway, dining room, kitchen, fireplace, study, library) is made tangible through tunnel-like stairs and room-like platforms that form a sequence and spatial continuum. The central high hallway is part of every room sequence, connecting them all visually. The living room floats like a bird’s nest between branches. Walls and ceilings of exposed concrete as well as sleek built-in furniture in oak evoke an elemental, reduced impression, not attempting to rival the natural surroundings. The waxed raw plaster walls of the private rooms are polished so that they reflect the outdoors, bringing it inside even more strongly through their careful details. On the roof, a large terrace perches in a reserved fashion. The earth-coloured exterior skin and angular volumetry of the building engage in an ongoing dialogue with the natural environment, constantly seeking to both contrast and harmonise with nature.