Black House – black, but not dark

Oriented to the north with far-reaching views of the surrounding landscape, this family home is a perfect example of a modern interpretation of a mountain gable house. In fact, it is technically two gable houses that have been joined together via a cube-shaped centre section.

Both inside and outside, the clients' favourite colour is echoed in all of the materials: the black aluminium roof panels are reflected in the dormers and façade units, and form one whole feature together with the subtly nuanced black colour of the clinker brickwork. The ultra-narrow profiles of the Schüco aluminium windows are also black, just like the mullion/transom façade and the Classic Design sliding doors. The colour concept is rounded off by black bathrooms and fitted furniture custom-made by the architects.

Although black is the dominating colour of this building project, the open-plan architecture, an almost transparent northern façade and the generous windows on the southern side allow an abundance of light into the house. This is made possible by the combination of Schüco lift-and-slide systems and a mullion/transom construction that connects the ground floor to the upper floor. The large-scale glazing follows the visual axis across the open rooms so that, as soon as you enter the house, the view extends through the living room and out to the greenery beyond. The highly thermally insulated, Cradle to Cradle-certified windows, façades and sliding doors from Schüco also contribute towards making the building envelope energy-efficient and sustainable.