ARCHIVE

Article from issue 7+8/2006 »Lightweight Construction + Systems«

Prefabricated House in Lower Austria

documentation p. 804 - 806
Architect Steixner, Gerhard | Structural Engineer Gmeiner/Haferl |

Drafts
1:20 Vertical section
1:200 Floor plans
1:200 Section
1:400 Floor plan variations
Perspective

The construction phase for the “art for art house” in Haringsee lasted only two months. The prototype of a multifunctional prefabricated house – the outcome of fifteen years’ research – with mixed types of construction and passive solar heating, combines the advantages of load-bearing walls with frame construction: precise prefabrication and detailing, quick assembly and frugal use of material are teamed up with thermal mass. The result is an economical building. In the north a two-storey load-bearing core in reinforced concrete contains the circulation and the rooms furnished with water. The service zone is adaptable and can be expanded in accordance with customers’ requirements and preferences, or adapted to the topography; the elevated pavilion with its large-format glazing, executed in frame construction, docks onto it. The clearly structured building accommodates a number of different floor plans, from a one-room studio to smaller cubicles; likewise, it also accommodates a variety of uses, such as residence, atelier, office unit, or pre-school. Beneath it the covered space can be used as a carport or for recreational purposes. The engineered plywood supports incorporate both the technical infrastructure – including wiring conduit – and the “trench” accommodating the peripheral floor convector. With minimal utilisation of steel, relatively large spans and cantilevers are attained, and the depth of the members is kept to a minimum. In addition a structural laminated-board assembly serves simulaneously as finished flooring and as insulation. The floor-to-ceiling operable ventilation elements in oiled larch and the black-pigmented, waxed-concrete trombe wall at the north, in conjunction with the south-facing skylight, are all involved in the passive solar concept. At the same time, these features play an important role in the building’s pared-down aesthetics. A thermal buffer zone, furnished with vertical louvres, provides sun and glare protection – as well as offering privacy – ensuring that the regulation of the interior climate can be individual and flexible.