Villa Soravia, Millstatt, AustriaThe Villa Soravia vacation home lies on the shore of Lake Millstatt on the southernmost tip of the Millstatt health resort in Carinthia,
Austria. COOP HIMMELB(L)AU embarked on this as a renovation rather than new build project since building regulations required that the contours of the previous structure and angle of its roof be preserved. With these specifications, they produced a vacation home whose form is defined by the original gable roof, a slanted tower, a generously defined exterior and an inimitable spatial structure. The simple structural concrete, white painted wood and metal and consciously anti-tectonic joint pattern of Villa Soravia lend the home a flair of ease and serenity. A “table” platform of reinforced concrete elevates the upper area of the former house so that a free floor plan is possible on the ground level. The “table” separates the private rooms in the upper area from the semi-public transparent rooms in the lower area. A terrace extends the living room on the ground level out toward the Lake. The room, with its ceiling-high glass panels, can be opened allowing inside and outside spaces to flow together. The Villa Soravia is also transparent on the street side, another of its important characteristics. Here, local artists have the opportunity to use the public area as an exhibition space. Directly above the docks – where boats can be hoisted up by means of a cable winch lies a kitchen counter. When the window is open, it’s almost as though the motor boat hangs directly in the kitchen. To reinforce the open and Mediterranean flair of the summer villa, Sicilian olive trees adorn Villa Soravia’s interior and exterior spaces. Completed August 2005.
Austria. COOP HIMMELB(L)AU embarked on this as a renovation rather than new build project since building regulations required that the contours of the previous structure and angle of its roof be preserved. With these specifications, they produced a vacation home whose form is defined by the original gable roof, a slanted tower, a generously defined exterior and an inimitable spatial structure. The simple structural concrete, white painted wood and metal and consciously anti-tectonic joint pattern of Villa Soravia lend the home a flair of ease and serenity. A “table” platform of reinforced concrete elevates the upper area of the former house so that a free floor plan is possible on the ground level. The “table” separates the private rooms in the upper area from the semi-public transparent rooms in the lower area. A terrace extends the living room on the ground level out toward the Lake. The room, with its ceiling-high glass panels, can be opened allowing inside and outside spaces to flow together. The Villa Soravia is also transparent on the street side, another of its important characteristics. Here, local artists have the opportunity to use the public area as an exhibition space. Directly above the docks – where boats can be hoisted up by means of a cable winch lies a kitchen counter. When the window is open, it’s almost as though the motor boat hangs directly in the kitchen. To reinforce the open and Mediterranean flair of the summer villa, Sicilian olive trees adorn Villa Soravia’s interior and exterior spaces. Completed August 2005.
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