House Going

Location: Going am wilden Kaiser, Austria
Principal use: single family house
Total floor area: 360m2
Year: 2010-2012
Status: completed
Design team: Mark Neuner

The Barn – Staged Authenticity.

To build a single family house in the region of Kitzbühel the team of Mostlikely took a better part of the design process as a research quest on how to build in a contemporary way without neglecting the historic traditions. Questions with great significance in an area where tradition not only weighs heavily on old houses but hardly any new houses that are more daring are to be found at all. This coherent architectural landscape allows for a romantic identity as well as regional authenticity and serves as the basis of the tourism industry in this area. To respect and preserve the substance of the idyllic mountain village Going am Wilden Kaiser (the name of the mountain which literally translates to “Wild Emperor”) Mostlikely chose to stage the well-known and proven in a new way.

The typology of the barn is characterized by a solid, brick-built base on which the open hayloft sits enthroned. The open character meets today’s needs better than the traditional, small-scale farmhouse with small windows.

Over the years, the larch wood facade changed to a silvery gray. © Christoph Theurer

The facade of the ground floor is clad with handmade concrete panels. © Christoph Theurer

Concrete flowers. (Or: Fabel und Flora.) A special feature is the facade of the ground floor. Instead of wood, the plasticity of concrete was used and the magic could take place: Flowers and creatures that are reminiscent of the myths of the mountains grow on the specially designed and poured concrete facade elements. In an almost manic collaboration with the sculptor Stefan Buxbaum, each element was individually cast and designed with motifs. Thanks to a feather-light core, the garage door could be integrated into the facade of the building.

Specially designed furniture, exposed concrete, a floating gallery and above all, the wooden roof structure characterize the ambience on the upper floor. It naturally combines a modern style of living with shapes from the past.