reuter raeber architects develops a house of contrasts with riehen residence

designed by reuter raeber architects, this private residence in switzerland uses glass, concrete, wood, and metal to create contrasting interplays of depth, weight, and heft. located near basel, ‘house in riehen’ is a horizontal building embedded into the contours of its plot. while the ground floor has been constructed from concrete, the upper level has been built from wood — creating a dialogue between the two storeys.

reuter raeber architects has designed the transition from exterior to interior to be seamless and fluid, with narrow retaining walls enclosing a courtyard. a small stairway delineates the spatial flow of the interiors — leading from the entrance to the living, dining, and kitchen areas — while reinforcing the character of the descending outdoor terrain. seemingly cast in one piece, the floor, fireplace, and two exterior load-bearing shear walls are made of concrete.

above, a solid wood construction comprising four exterior sheer walls and two transverse walls forms the structure of the overlying storey, containing the property’s sleeping accommodation. internally, the wood is left exposed, while glass and metal surfaces provide weather resistance on the building’s exterior. ‘the wood structure rests on two vertical concrete shear walls, cantilevering to the front and back,’ explain the architects. ‘it is stabilized by way of cross-bracing steel tension bars on the east and west-facing windows that hold the two wooden shear walls together. the ceiling on the ground floor is hung front to back by way of tension rods attached to the two transverse steel roof beams.’