Stupet - Refugium by a Staircase
To occupy nature with humility and to leave nature as untouched as possible is a fundamental position within the framework of this project.
The sculptural form with its gaps and openings brings the landscape into the house. The raw and rustic materials that enclose the building will over time be affected by the nature; the site will shape the building.
The promenade begins at the entrance to the house, continues through the volume and leads onwards down to the water.
A wide gap in the roof of the building allows the light of the sky to flow down the concrete wall, which leads through the length of the building, embracing the stairs and allowing for a fireplace at the edge of the cliff.
There is a desire to create a sculptural volume, where indoor ledges adapt to the levels of the natural surroundings, where no distinction between wall and roof is made.
The result is a concentrated structure where the inner sequences of space form a clear boundary between what has been inhabited and the untamed nature.
The large panes of glass become thin membranes on the verge between these two loci.
The cast-in-place concrete stairs create ledges for cultivation and rest on their path down the cliff towards the water.
