Flexhouse Loĝkonstruaĵo

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Flexhouse is an exclusive family house situated on picturesque Lake Zurich in Switzerland with a striking exterior architecture and breathtaking 180degree views across the lake to the mountains beyond. With its wide walls of glass and ribbon like white facade that winds its way around the building, this stunning three story home is so light and mobile in appearance that it resembles a futuristic vessel that has sailed in from the lake and found itself a natural place to dock.

Dimensions & Packaging

Flexhouse is built on a triangular building plot with a size of 467 m2. The total living area is 173 m2, which is spread across 4 levels: The ground level with the entrance, garage and utility spaces; the 1st floor with the kitchen and living room; the 2nd floor with two bedrooms and bathrooms and the 3rd floor with the studio and two terraces. Building volume is 934 m3. The max. building width is 7.8 m and the min. building width is 4.3 m. The building is 15 m long.

Tags

Flexhouse, residential building, family house, villa, Switzerland

Production Technology

Flexhouse is constructed with concrete floors, steel columns and prefabricated timber panels. This enables the construction thickness to remain the same for the external curved elements as well as for the internal slabs. This way the white fascia can follow the building shape perfectly. The rounded facades are clad in white aluminum shingles giving a ripple texture effect. The concrete floors are thermally activated with integrated heating pipes, which connect to the ground source heat pump.

Design Challenge

Flexhouse lies within a village, and the building regulations required the new-build respond to the context of vernacular style of the area. To get the approval for a contemporary design, architects undertook an in depth survey to assess the timeline of the various building styles of the area. The analysis proved: the area reflected the tradition of changing building styles over the past 100 years and Flexhouse's contemporary architecture represented the continuation of this ongoing tradition.

Research

The rules of boundary distance and building volume for this plot were particularly challenging; the plot at first sight looked too small to build on. Only due to negotiating the right to build closer to the railway track, the minimal building width could be increased to still very narrow 4.3 meters. Therefore the chosen design concept features a floor plan that goes from wide to narrow to follow the railway lines and shape of the plot.

Inspiration

The dynamic character of the location with the movement of trains and the building plot sitting above the street level inspired architect to develop a concept, which interprets the transient nature of this plot and creates soft transitions between the building, the plot and the landscape. The round shaped end-facades connect the building with the landscape and reflect the dynamic location. The transparency of the glass façades interlocks the outside with the inside, enabling movement of views.

Project Duration

The building works started in September 2014 and finished in March 2016. Flexhouse is located in Meilen, Switzerland, on Lake Zurich.

Operation Flow

The external fluidity of the design continues inside with an open plan interior and unbroken views of natural light. On the ground floor, the living room transitions into a dining area and loft style kitchen. Rather than close off individual floors, the design incorporates a double height open space, delivering a glimpse of the bedrooms above. The top floor studio with three glazed façades and two stunning roof terraces is the climax of the continuous flow between the inside and the outside.

Patents

Copyrights belong to Evolution Design, 2016

Image Credits

Image #1: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016. Image #2: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016. Image #3: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016. Image #4: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016. Image #5: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016.