Loft in Barn12 photos

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Loft in Barn

Agricultural barn – a typical long building for the Bregenzwald region – was transformed into a living space by Georg Bechter Architektur+Design studio. The 17th-century building is located in the municipality of Hittisau, Austria, and stands alone on the southern slope of a hill with a spectacular mountain view.

The large open space of the loft is free of internal partitions – except for a core in its center that connects auxiliary rooms and a staircase leading to the second-floor gallery. The main feature of the house lies in its glazed southern facade, offering a wide view over the village and the mountains. In summer, the lower part of the glass panels can be raised. This way, the interior dissolves into the external space; the living room connects with the surrounding natural environment through steps designed as a seating area. The glass facade also provides views of the landscape for the upper-level rooms – bedroom or bathroom.

The loft is designed as a basic structure that can be used in various ways. It may be seen, for example, as a studio or adapted over time to meet the evolving needs of its inhabitants.

A simple, raw and economically viable living space in the loft meets all ecological standards. Even the timber used for construction was selected and cut down on a family forest and processed at a local sawmill. These trees grew for a hundred years within three miles of the location where they now form the foundation of a house designed to last many decades.

Photos: Adolf Bereuter