designed by leopold banchini architects, casa ccff is an environmentally-friendly urban house overlooking geneva’s industrial train station. the design of the exterior mimics the surrounding industrial shed roof profiles, while the interior incorporates a large open volume, filled with sunlight. external views are carefully framed to create a brightly lit intimacy in this highly urbanized environment.

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
all images by dylan perrenoud

 

 

on the first floor, two internal gardens divide the living spaces and invite nature into the heart of the house. banchini has created overlaying transparencies that blur the boundaries between interior and exterior. under the suspended volume, a generous covered space allows for outdoor living and parking. each architectural element placed in the square plan is specifically designed for the simple building and by using economical materials and prefabrication, the construction costs have been minimized.

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
framed view from the interior garden

 

 

developed with engineer marc walgenwitz, the house is built almost entirely in wood, pushing the structural capacities of this natural material to its limits and reducing the use of concrete to a bare minimum. by achieving high insulation values and maximizing solar gain, a small heat pump allows the building to avoid the consumption of fossil fuels. assembled in a few days by local carpenters, casa ccff proposes an eco-friendly alternative to the archetype of swiss concrete houses.

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects

the kitchen space filled with light

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
covered transparent ground floor

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
living and parking space under the suspended volume

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects

interior transparencies through landscaped courtyard

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
detail of the marbled kitchen furniture

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
overview of the interior from the rear to the front façade

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects

the interior bathed in sunlight

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
elevation and sections

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
ground floor

casa ccff is an eco-friendly urban house by leopold banchini architects
first floor

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: lynne myers | designboom