steimle architekten designs sculptural “crystal-shaped” Pliezhausen residence

Located on a quiet street in the German town of Pliezhausen, the Pliezhausen residence is a distinctly “crystal-shaped” insulated concrete home that both contrasts and complements its surroundings. Designed by Stuttgart-based steimle architekten, the house was among the Gold Award-winning projects in the Best Architects 18 competition.

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“Facing the street, the monolithic building presents only a few openings cut deeply into the solid concrete shell. While the crystal-shaped house still relates to the existing built context due to its parallel elongated sides, it contrasts distinctly with the neighbouring buildings by virtue of the tapered ends formed by its shorter sides.”

“It is this oblique arrangement of the façades that enables the building to open out to the surrounding outdoor spaces and to offer its inhabitants unexpectedly expansive views into the distance. A conventional gable roof and the gently rising terrain reinforce the angular, sculptural effect of the house, which is designed on a hexagonal ground plan.”

“Upon entering the house through its entrance cut deep into the concrete mass, you first reach the garden room. From here, a single-flight stair leads up to the residential level.”

“The slightly narrow and high entrance area morphs into a space that opens upward but is clearly bounded by the multiple folds of the roof form: as you move through the house, constriction and expansion, enclosure and openness enter into an exciting, constantly shifting dialogue. In its minimalism and robustness, the insulating concrete is a monochrome, massive shell that defines the essence of the house both inside and outside.”

Photos and quoted text courtesy of Best Architects 18.