Haus L.

The house is situated in the historic center of the town of Perchtoldsdorf in Lower Austria. Due to its central location within the historic protection zone, one of the main conditions was to fit in the new building harmonically to the historic structure of the village. Another guideline by the owner was to arrange the main rooms - kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom - without any barriers on the ground floor. The concept of the new building by SWAP Architects is based on the U-shaped typology of the former building. As a result of the new orientation of the courtyard towards a nearby park the structure becomes more open. The courtyard is accessible from all rooms. It offers a large terrace, including a water basin. With the fully glazed front facing the inner courtyard the house appears transparent, in contrast to the front facing the street with its contemporary interpretation of traditional forms and historic proportions. A characteristic is the lack of a conventional corridor, so that each room can be separated from the others only by sliding elements. The first floor with an office, a library, an attic and a large terrace can be reached over inner and outer stairs and there is a void with a gallery above the living room.