e2a architects: lakeside house

lakeside house by e2a architects all photos by dominique marc wehrli and radek brunecky

the house by e2a architects is situated at around a lakeside in zurich. it is set away from the shore, with a mandatory distance of 30m establishing an unobstructed space, which is thought as an unbuilt garden. the oak tree and hedges are kept as reminiscent of the original site.

three volumes of pigmented concrete are stacked and shifted offset to each other. they are assigned programmatically and are connected through a cascadian staircase. at the rear of the property the diagonal lines make the cascading main staircase visible. this and the shifted volumes dissolve the massive, rather closed structure towards the main road.

facing the garden

at the front of the property, the house is open. large framed windows provide an unobstructed view over the garden and the lake. on the ground floor, windows are recessed in order to contribute a part of the building to a terrace.

the three stacked volumes connected by the cascadian staircase, combine different programmatic scenarios. living takes place on the ground floor, the first level is designated for the children, and the second floor is for the parents. the structure is defined in such a way that single rooms can be connected to one large room, in addition the cascade allows every combination to connectand circulate, keeping the house programmatically adaptable to future living conditions.

entrance

side view

kitchen

rooftop balcony

cross sectional view

section view

floor plan

floor plan

floor plan

project: 2007-2008 realization: 2008-2009 gross surface: 550 m2 gross volume: 2550 m3 architects: e2a eckert eckert architekten, zurich wim eckert, piet eckert project team e2a: samuel benz, stefan berle, bryan graf building management: witzig architekten gmbh, zurich structure: marti + dietschweiler ag, maennedorf landscape: beat nipkow, landschaftsarchitekt bsla sia, zurich building physics: leuthardt + mäder, ingenieurbüro für bauphysik + akustik, bruttisellen electro engineering:  r+b engineering ag, zurich hvcs: gruenberg + partner, zurich