Vitrahaus by Herzog, De Meuron

Vitrahaus, Rhein, Germany

designed by Herzog & De Meuron

This is a showroom, not a dwelling but it grabbed my attention due its materiality as well as the verticality of the space created by the multi-layered structure.

Same shape of the unite is repeated in different angle, creating interesting and unique facade of the building.

 Except the end the unite, the body is sealed with concrete so there is a dramatic contrast between materials as well as the atmosphere, close and open. It accentuates the inside which can be observed from outside so it brings people inside like a magnetic.

 Before entering the building, it would be interesting standing in the courtyard looking up the units penetrating each other. The void space between units also frames unique view to the nature.

Little bit different from the outside...
Due to the change in floor levels, there are a lot of staircases but the interesting point is that they all are connected in on big curved guardrails, which looks very random comparing to the impression of the outside.