The Blind Spot House

The site for the house is on a steep hill overlooking the Rhine valley. Being blessed with extreme views to the far horizon towards France on one side, along the Rhine valley on the other side and towards the Black forest Mountains on the back, the site is as well in close proximity to three existing houses at the adjoining sites.

This complex grid of great views and deliberate blind spots dictated a series of walls hiding the neighbouring buildings and openings giving an almost unlimited and unobstructed view across the landscape towards the horizon. Each room gets a specific view. Blinkers around the windows create an even deeper section of the wall, blocking out views and shading the rooms at the same time.

The house changes the site as little as possible. All the surfaces on the outside are either grass-concrete blocks or a green roof with less than 10% of the surfaces sealed. Heated through a ground-source heating pump and highly insulated walls, floors and ceiling it is built to German Passive House standard. In the interior the whole house is only one big room stretching over three levels. All the floors are natural grey slate or natural oak. All concrete in the house is left visible.

Site: 2190sqm

Living Area: 110sqm

Location: Achern-Fautenbach, Germany

Design: 2005-2007

Build: 2008-2010

Landscaping: 2010-2011