Project: Mirror Houses
Architects: Peter Pichler Architecture
Location: Bolzano, Italy
Photographs by: Oskar Da Riz
Mirror Houses by Peter Pichler Architecture
Peter Pichler Architecture is the studio responsible for the spectacular design of the Mirror Houses that are located just outside of the Italian city of Bolzano.
The Mirror Houses project consists of two holiday homes sat next to each other, both clad in mirrored glass on the facades facing the west, reflecting the Dolomites mountain range. These vacation homes are actually rentable, offering an unforgettable idyllic getaway.
Each of these houses has a separate balcony as well as a private garden and access path. Inside, full height glass walls enclose the interior, painting the beautiful mountain views as well as the vistas of the nearby orchards. The windows can slide open to connect the interior to the outdoor spaces.
The site of the project is located in the midst of apple orchards close to Bolzano, north Italy, and is surrounded by the spectacular mountains of the dolomites.
The client, who lives in a farmhouse of the 60s on the site, asked us to design a structure for renting out as a luxury holiday units, so guests have their small autonomous apartment and can fully enjoy the experience to live in the middle of nature. A maximum degree of privacy for both the client and the residing guest should be taken into consideration.
The new structure is oriented towards east with their private garden and an autonomous access and parking for their guests. Each unit contains a kitchen / living room as well as a bath- and bedroom with big openable skylights to allow natural light and ventilation. A small basement serves for temporary storage.
The projects initial volume is split in 2 units that are slightly shifted in height and length in order to loosening the entire structure and articulating their differentiation.
Both units are floating on a base above the ground evoking lightness beside offering better views from their cantilevering terraces to the impressive surrounding landscape. The volume opens towards east with a big glass facade that fades with curvilinear lines into the black aluminum shell. Mirrored glass on the west facade borders the garden of the client with the units and catches the surrounding panorama with pool while making the units almost invisible.
In certain views from the clients garden the old existing farmhouse is mirrored in the new contemporary architecture and is literally blending into it rather then competing against.
–Peter Pichler Architecture
