Seeschanze, Quartier Dornier
Architect: Baumschlager Eberle Architects
Location: Lochau, Austria
Type: Apartment
Year: 2017
Photographs: Eduard Hueber
Making the most of a lake view
The following description is courtesy of the architects. Faced with 10,000m2 of land running down to Lake Constance, the first objective of any client would be to maximise the lake views. The remit here on the site of the former Dornier industrial works in Lochau was to devise a redevelopment scheme that would reconcile visibility and density. This gave rise to a range of specific objectives: the creation of optimum views for a maximum number of apartments; providing residents with as much private space as possible, engineering a well-balanced architectural solution; and – of course – achieving a level of aesthetics and construction quality in keeping with the site’s premium location. Thanks to the spatial planning, exterior space treatment and typology, density and visibility present no contradiction here.
The secret lies in the positioning of the six blocks
They are configured in an offset arrangement to achieve optimum views for the individual apartments with the depth of the site being used quite consciously to optimise sight corridors by placing the blocks end on to the lake. The block type and its variants are tailored precisely to the architectural system. A finely calibrated outdoor space, the site is organised around two pedestrian links, an access route to the south and a green space to the north, creating funnel-shaped public outdoor areas. This configuration creates tension and variability, giving the outdoor space its own character within the development as a whole.
Brief
The remit here on this 10,000m2 plot of land running down to Lake Constance was to devise a redevelopment scheme that would reconcile visibility and density. In concrete terms that meant creating optimum views for a maximum number of apartments, offering residents as much private space as possible, engineering a well-balanced architectural solution and – of course – achieving a level of aesthetics and construction quality in keeping with the site’s location.
Realisation
The six blocks are configured in an offset arrangement to produce optimum views for the individual apartments. The block type and its variants are tailored precisely to the architectural system.
Features
The site is organised around two pedestrian links, an access route to the south and a green space to the north, creating funnel-shaped public outdoor areas. This configuration creates tension and variability, giving the outdoor space its own character within the development as a whole.
The materials used provided a reference to the local area and introduced traditional craft techniques. This created the natural logic that allows the buildings to blend into their surroundings.
