The structure’s embedding within the hill serves a dual purpose: camouflaging the house from the north side while utilizing the earth’s natural thermal insulation. This design ensures year-round energy efficiency by moderating interior temperatures. Visitors enter the house through the mountain itself, flanked by slowly corroding scrap steel panels that create a raw, industrial aesthetic in stark contrast to the surrounding landscape.

The south-facing glass facade, framed in locally sourced larch wood, blurs the line between artificial structure and natural environment. The timber, harvested from the immediate surroundings, adds a sense of cohesion to the site. Above the glass wall, a cantilevered canopy extends outward, regulating sunlight throughout the seasons. The spacious terrace runs the entire width of the house, following the split-level ground floor before rising toward the western facade, where it shelters a henhouse beneath its structure. The continuous flow of the terrace—from ground to facade and back up to the canopy—emphasizes the organic relationship between the building and its topography.

The project represents an experiment in sustainable architecture, combining structural design (the hardware) with intelligent technical systems (the software). These systems were developed in collaboration with Arup Amsterdam, a firm known for its innovative engineering solutions. The house’s shell exhibits a raw honesty: the concrete retaining walls—necessary to withstand the pressure of the hillside—remain unfinished, while the steel framework displays its visible welding seams. The untreated timber surfaces gradually weather with time, further connecting the structure to its natural context.

Inside, the interior design balances functionality with playful creativity. The architectural framework itself becomes an essential part of the aesthetic: from skateboard-inspired stairs to glazed floor openings that offer unexpected visual connections between spaces. The dramatic, Grecian-style curtains add a touch of theatrical elegance, while custom-designed furniture pieces contribute a sense of individuality. One particularly intriguing feature is the “car-shelving” installation—a whimsical nod to movement and transformation that encapsulates the spirit of the design.