Hohlen house results from the conversion of a existing dwelling originally built in 1961. Designed by architect jochen specht, the expanded and renewed house is characterized by its clear gable-roof form and visually porous envelope, composed of large pains of glass which open the interiors to views of the austrian valley below. Located in the town of dornbirn, the singular gable-roof volume sits upon a concrete base that recedes into the sloping terrain.
The light and open nature of the wood-framed and glass-clad envelope contrasts the house’s existing heavy structure, which has been whitewashed to minimize its masonry quality. The new façade encloses the original thick shell, whose former windows and openings have been integrated into the new spaces for functional purposes.
