Kitzbühel House is a minimal residence located in Kitzbühel, Austria, designed by John Pawson. The design is driven by the goal of creating a contemporary family home in a consistent modern idiom that also draws on recognizable historical precedents. The idea of breaking the program into a cluster of smaller buildings developed early, as a way of allowing the required mass to sit as modestly as possible on the site. The architecture thus takes the form of a trio of barn–like structures set on a plinth, the volumes shifted relative to one another, to reinforce the fragmentation of the composition. Echoing the three mountains that form their backdrop, the three peaked roof profiles produce a distinctive silhouette that is refined and modern, but also clearly related to nearby vernacular structures.

Photography by Oliver Jaist