7/02/2011

floating house


Floating houses sound great in theory, but there are upkeep costs – not to mention the price of parking one in the first place. The parallels end quickly, to be fair, but this core structure of this home does appear at first to float on air – or at least on the thin glass partitions on the ground floor – and despite its unique appearance it was relatively cheap and easy to construct.

The design concept by Kraus-Schoenberg Architects is actually (and rightly) driven far more than by use than by exterior appearance, however, revolving around a lower-level open family living space with individual rooms above separated as needed and allowed to ‘push’ the ceiling below into this area only as needed. Despite the functional aspects of the design, though, it is hard to escape the sense that everything is upside-down.

Cut into the ground, the first floor gives one the sense of being cozy and enclosed but also provides views out in all directs to the lawn, garden and forest beyond. More limited fenestration on the upper levels grant greater privacy. What is perhaps most compelling is that the materials and construction methods are remarkably simple and inexpensive, yet the net result is a home sure to be unlike any other on the block.

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