Townhouse "Wallhouse"

year: 1999 | typology: ingle-family house | status: completed

A Poetic Dialogue Between Architectural History, Landscape, and Everyday Life

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The Wallhouse in Salzburg is conceived as an architectural homage to the spirit of Karl Friedrich Schinkel—explicitly inspired by his visionary design for Schloss Orianda in Crimea. In Schinkel’s own words, he envisioned a house that would “let the spirit wander outward” while cultivating an equally rich inner life. This duality—between openness and intimacy—shapes the conceptual foundation of this residence, located on a distinctive site in Salzburg with expansive views of the Salzach River, the Fortress of Hohensalzburg, and a tranquil private garden.

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​Design Concept and Spatial Composition

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The spatial organisation follows a clear principle of protection and exposure. The bedrooms and children's rooms are located on the ground floor, oriented inward toward the sheltered garden courtyard, shielded from urban noise. The upper floor becomes the beletage, an elevated living area that opens generously to the surrounding cityscape. Here, living unfolds as a sequence of open, flowing spaces—extended by a terrace, a winter garden, and a pergola that shapes the outdoor room.

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A pavilion-like volume atop the roof, gently nestled within the branches of an old oak, evokes childhood memories of treehouses and introduces a poetic counterpoint to the architectural clarity of the building. The house reveals itself from the inside out, choreographing visual axes toward both garden and city—a dialogue between retreat and openness, between architecture and nature.

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​Materiality and Construction​

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The structure is anchored in a watertight concrete foundation; the thermally insulated basement walls form the robust base. The exterior envelope consists of insulating wood-concrete composite blocks with continuous thermal protection. Finishes such as lime plaster, natural wood, and playfully accentuated timber windows—in red, green, yellow, and white—imbue the architecture with a sense of brightness and ease.

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Reinforced concrete slabs with high-performance insulation ensure thermal integrity. The floors are finished with floating screed and hardwood parquet. Interior doors are solid-core, executed as swing or sliding doors, lacquered or wood-veneered for a refined finish.

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​Sustainability and Green Architecture​

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The flat roofs are designed as planted surfaces, returning green space to the footprint of the built volume. Climbing plants animate the façades via tension cables, growing from the earth or terrace planters, and lend the building a living, breathing presence. Energy is supplied by a groundwater heat pump system, supported by a wood-burning stove and passive air-heat circulation from the winter garden. In this way, contemporary building technology is seamlessly integrated into a holistic, ecologically conscious architectural approach.