House B.A.B.E. | Destilat

The former domicile of a family of entrepreneurs from Linz is located near the top of Bachlberg, in very quiet area near the woods, overlooking the provincial capital of Linz, with a panoramic view of the distant Alpine foothills. In cooperation with W. Wimmer, this run-down object with its spacious garden was converted into a modern apartment house with three living units. The original structure was gutted completely and extended by an additional floor with insulated timber framing. Starting at the socle storey, the entire structure was slightly turned to optimise its viewing angles. Covered entirely with grey shingles made of asbestos cement (Eternit), the building has a very monolithic and sculptural character due to its seemingly random distribution of apertures for windows, loggias and terraces. The apartments of this house have very diverse characters and usable floor areas ranging from 140 to 200 sq m. The former indoor pool area on the ground floor was converted to an apartment with direct access to the property's garden. However, the crown jewel of this building is the penthouse with its open living, kitchen and dining area and up to 6.5 meter high, open pitched roof and a gallery. A massive open fireplace is the almost archaic centre due to its reduced design as well as its concrete base and rough plasterwork. Besides the impressive main room, which includes a gallery, the entrance area as well as the bathrooms were individually designed to meet the clientʼs requirements.

Executive architect: DI Wolfgang Wimmer (www.architypen.at)