Austrian architects Atelier Thomas Pucher built a glass box and courtyard onto this house in Graz to bring the family’s living space outdoors (+ slideshow).
Two steel beams mark out the concrete roof structure, which can be accessed from the first floor of the house and used as a terrace.
The glass box provides a new living area, which is screened on one side by an internal brick wall.
Outside, a concrete floor wraps around the glass box and leads to the square courtyard, which wraps around a walnut tree.
At the far end, a rough stone wall provides shelter to the courtyard.
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Photographs are by Lukas Schaller.
Here’s some more information from the architects:
The initial assignment for the Villa SK was to rebuild with a rather limited budget an existing single family house and adjust it to the needs of its future inhabitants. Instead of redeveloping the old structure, the decision was made to add a contrasting annexe that would extend the living area of the house into the garden.
This choice allowed us to keep intact the main structure of the existing construction and reserve it for private functions, such as bathrooms and rooms for the children. On the other hand, the most public function of the house – the living room – is now surrounded by nature and becomes the central element of the house.
The first floor of the existing house is a more reserved area for the owners and the roof of the annexe serves as an exterior terrace.
The extension volume consists of three materials — large glass panes, rough brick and red coloured concrete. The concrete structure that forms the roof is composed by two major beams, which extent almost to the limit of the plot.
Although supported by thin metal elements, the roof structure appears to hover over the rough stone wall, creating a clear but delicate contrast between these elements and materials. In this gesture, the building embraces the existing walnut tree, forming a calm and reserved courtyard.
The wide glass panes provide an intimate connection from the interior space with the outside scene, from spring’s lush greenery to winter’s bright snow. In this way, nature and architecture are interwoven to create a welcoming and harmonious backdrop for family life.