House for 1 to 4 Families / FAKT Office

Text description provided by the architects. The project was designed as a flexible and compact structure that remains suitable for more than one specific use. It is situated on a generous, formerly overgrown lot, preserving a big part of the generous garden. The initial spatial system of the split levels was developed to meet the programmatic requirements of versatile spaces and to fit the project into the site’s topography.

The house for a private client was developed structurally and programmatically to be flexible for uses ranging from a private villa type to a 4-unit house. The spatial system works as a cross-split configuration, each floor plate divides into two elevation levels. 

By rotating each split-level 90° in regard to the one below, the combination of floor and ceiling split creates a variation of four room heights per story. With this, very different gradients of privacy and options of usage are offered. The roof is split-level as well, with a terrace and a generous and densely planted roof garden forming the top of the house.

A large part of the structural work was realized with semi-precast concrete elements, and thus at low cost and in a time-saving manner. The sustainability aspect of the structure lies in the ability to divide into smaller units and vice versa, welcoming a wide range of change and adaption. 

This leaves the house very flexible for various uses in the future, from occupancy as an open multi-unit house to a house with four divided residential units. The project thus acts as a typological study for a changeable multi-party space and an incubator of change in its semi-urban setting.