Ebeling House, CH-Uettligen
The family’s property is located on the southwestern edge of the town of Uettligen. Across the adjacent farmland, the view opens up toward Bern and the Alps.
The plot’s so-called “flag shape” features a bottleneck-like entrance, which means that the main area of the plot is accessed through the garage. Only after passing through this entrance pavilion does one walk down from above toward the house. To the observer, the house appears as a gently sloping, green roof; beneath it, the glass-enclosed entrance offers a welcoming entryway. One steps beneath the protective roof, which overhangs on all sides.
Inside the building, visitors are greeted by a topography modeled after the slope of the terrain. Like vessels open at the top, the concrete walls — which vary in height — form enclosing walls for the different spatial areas. The walls and floors are made of the same material, forming an abstract unity reduced to its essentials. Much like an archaeological site, these elements rising from the ground create a spatial structure of varying heights that continues into the outdoor space.
The roof overhang on all sides, as well as the projections and recesses of the south and southwest facades, create an interplay between interior and exterior. Viewed from the agricultural zone, the building appears to be a house grounded in the earth. The large areas that are closed off or unglazed relative to the facade’s total surface area, along with the shade cast by the roof overhang, prevent the building from appearing as a reflective glass surface from the outside. Instead, the perceived appearance is more like that of an overgrown ruin.
