Destilat: Y2 House

Vienna-based architecture and design studio Destilat have recently completed the Y2 house in Pöstlingberg, Austria, a mountainous region close to the Danube river. The building is divided into two structures, adapted to the site's steep location, a slope which determines that the public and private areas in the project be inverted. One of the structures houses the living areas, while the other hosts the resident's private quarters, and both are linked by a subterranean passageway, as well as a wooden terrace.

The buildings' exteriors follow the property lines in the 21 metre-wide site, while the interior lines allow for the creation of some dynamic moments. The roofs rise gradually from the side of the entrance, dropping steeply at their narrowest point between both buildings, following the slope's inclination. This allows for ceiling heights of up to 5 metres in the interior.

At the centre of the living space, a communal room with almost no perpendicular angles offers a space for residents and guests to meet, eat and spend some time. The room is enhanced by a fireplace, a corner window with a panoramic view, and an elevated seating area at 45 centimeters. The building features a series of smaller rooms alongside the main communal room. In the private areas, bedrooms face west, a bathroom frames a view of the nearby alpine foothills, and a recessed balcony anchors the space.

The building combines concrete — in the foundations and walls touching the slope's ground — and wood — for all remaining walls. Wooden components are insulated with rock wool and hemp, and the whole building works as a low-energy building. A tree that had to be removed from the site for the construction was dried, stripped off its bark, and reinserted in the site, supporting the tip of the house as a column.

Destilat: Y2 house
Architects: Destilat
Location: Pöstlingberg, Austria
Typology: Residential, single family house
Completion: 2012