The location of House Three is characterized by an unobstructed view of the Swabian Alps, which includes a medieval monastery located in the center of the village. It was desired by the owners to have the monastery in direct sight from the house. The fulfillment of this wish was complicated by a tight development plan and a narrow construction window. Nevertheless, in satisfying the needs of the brief a structural geometry was developed that allowed for a complete view of the monastery – the balcony area on the south side of the house was extruded out of the building envelope, allowing for the panoramic view over the village and the surrounding landscape. Another important point that needed to be considered was sound insulation. The building plot is located directly in an airport landing flight path. To combat the noise, a concrete pitched roof was included in the design to help deflect and keep out the sound of aircraft flying overhead. A concern of the architects was to try and circumvent the specifications of the development plan with regard to the roof, which allowed for a tiled roof in either red or grey. The result is a unique concept in which the house is uniformly clad with light grey “Eternit Pictura” fiber cement panels, extending up over the pitched concrete roof. This “wrapping” of the house in a consistent material gives it a monolithic appearance, the building elements perfectly tied together as a homogenous whole.
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