Patrick Reuter Architecture frames Detached House with exposed concrete walls

Basel studio Patrick Reuter Architecture has completed a family home in Switzerland that combines exposed concrete walls with expanses of full-height glazing for a "balance between heaviness and lightness".

Detached House occupies a gently sloping plot near Basel that was formerly a riverbed of clay, loess and gravel, necessitating the construction of the home's large concrete retaining walls.

Interested in the idea of thresholds, Patrick Reuter Architecture used these monolithic walls to frame an "empty space" at the centre of the home's ground floor. This is connected to both the outdoors and the adjoining family rooms via sliding doors.

The living, dining and kitchen spaces that flank this central space can also be opened onto the garden areas that surround Detached House, which are overlooked through almost entirely glazed side walls.

"The design emphasises spatial fluidity, adaptability and a strong connection to the natural surroundings, with the central 'empty space' acting as both a functional hub and a conceptual statement of balance," the studio's founder Patrick Reuter told Dezeen.

"Structurally conceived as an open, tension-filled room, it serves as the emotional and spatial core of the home," he added. "Sliding and folding doors allow for adaptable connections between rooms, offering flexibility based on the occupants' needs."

Positioned above the central open space is the home's smaller first floor, where bedrooms sit on either side of a central bathroom and open onto metal balconies to the north and south.

Areas of exposed concrete wall are contrasted internally with white surfaces, pale wooden floors and grey curtains.

"The upper floor, which rests on four precise points, creates a sense of balance between heaviness and lightness, enclosure and openness," Reuter said.

"Materials were selected not only for their aesthetic qualities but also for their durability and their ability to create a dialogue between the architecture and its environment," he added.

The garden of Detached House extends to the south, where a small pool sits alongside a terrace sheltered by a section of roof and a framed pergola. All of this has been built out of exposed concrete to match the walls of the home.

Other homes in Switzerland recently featured on Dezeen include a 1960s mountain chalet updated by Giona Bierens de Haan Architecture and a "massive primitive object" by Celoria Architects.

The photography is by Rasmus Norlander.

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