A detached house is being designed for a site on the Weserhang in the town of Achim. Conceived as an integral part of the surrounding landscape, the house reacts to the local conditions: In order to minimise its impact upon this landscape, the design proposes a floating building volume, which rests upon a single support. This floating architecture reduces the interven- tion of the building on the site to a small insertion in the slope. At the same time, the reduced footprint of the house enables the existing trees to be treated with huge respect.

The house is entered via the lift shaft, which also acts as the load-bearing support. Visitors can also arrive via a filigree bridge that meanders as it floats above the landscape, supported on individual footings built into the slope.
The house consists of two volumes with different temperature characte- ristics. The so-called warm volume contains the living and dining area at ground floor level. An internal circulation enables visitors to reach the upper floor, where two bedrooms with bathroom and ancillary areas are located. These air-conditioned areas open generously onto the winter garden, which ? in contrast with the standard solution ? is directly adjacent to the living area, which is surrounded by solid walls. The sliding elements in the roof enable the winter garden to react to the weather conditions in the various seasons, by being opened to the outside or protected from rain or snow. In addit...