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Detail of yard with the swimming pool in the foreground and Lake Constance in the background. |
Location: Constance. Switzerland Year of construction: 1994 Architect: Ernst Giselbrecht Photography: Peter Eder
Right-hand page: The glass areas have been treated to filter sunlight during the summer.
Giselbrecht designed the house to have panoramic views. The view of the lake from every room becomes a constant point of reference, a backdrop against which the whole house revolves.
The architect built a retaining wall that enabled him to have a flat area on which to site both the swimming pool and the house. On this platform, the house is built like a small two-floor glasshouse: the first floor houses the communal areas and the second floor the bedrooms. Obviously, there is a clear difference between the front facade (with views over the lake) and the back wall.
As can be seen from studying Russ House, Giselbrecht combines strictness of construction and fondness for detail with considerable formal restraint. His buildings are nearly always built on the basis of simple geometric shapes and abstract facades. In this one, apart from the volume of glass, the only additional element is a narrow balcony that runs along the whole of the main facade, with an extension at one end, as if it were a lookout post.
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The glass walls of the study provide a visual link with the living room. |
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The panoramic view of the lake is a constant reference point from every room in the house. |
View of the doubleheight living room. All metalwork is white lacquered.