Designed in 1993, this house represents one of STDM’s earliest explorations of how contemporary architecture can engage with rural living. Rather than reproducing the forms of traditional farm buildings, the project reinterprets the constructive, spatial and landscape principles that have shaped the local vernacular.

Located on the edge of the village of Heffingen, the house is set within an agricultural landscape. It is composed of a timber-and-glass main volume, two steel shelter roofs, a blue-clad technical pavilion and an exposed concrete chimney. Together, these autonomous elements form a coherent composition in which each component fulfils a structural, spatial and architectural role.

The living spaces open generously towards the surrounding fields through large glazed façades. Inspired by agricultural shelters, the steel roofs protect the timber volume while maintaining their own structural identity. The space between the steel structure and the south façade accommodates large external fabric screens, creating a second skin that provides solar protection while allowing the appearance of the house to evolve with the seasons.

The project relies on simple, largely prefabricated construction systems, including the steel structure, repetitive timber elements and the exposed concrete chimney. As in traditional rural buildings, the assembly of these different volumes creates intermediate spaces that extend the living environment and strengthen the relationship between the house and its surroundings.

The house is conceived as a composition of complementary elements rather than a single object. Instead of asserting itself within the landscape, it extends the qualities of its setting. More than a formal reference to rural architecture, the project translates its fundamental principles into a contemporary architectural language, where every constructive decision contributes to the coherence of the whole and to a close relationship between architecture and landscape.