Steep hillside plots present a unique opportunity: frame expansive vistas with minimal effort. Yet before admiration comes the work—architects must reconcile challenging terrain with a family's vision. It's no accident that Cologne-based HPA+ Architekten designed this home for five around one guiding principle: maximizing the sweeping valley views. The surrounding landscape should feel omnipresent, woven into every room. The house itself nearly dissolves into this choreography of nature and vista. Nearly.

From the street, the building reveals little—a restrained forecourt facade that barely hints at what lies within. This restraint makes the interior revelation all the more striking: three full stories unfold the moment you step inside and gaze toward the garden. There, a two-story expanse of glass transforms the boundary between inside and out. Light pours through, pulling your gaze into the distance while the surrounding walls fade away. Nature becomes a living artwork—sometimes framed, sometimes flooding directly into the rooms. The expansive open-plan living spaces invite exactly this immersion. "The interior should be defined solely by the extraordinary view," explains architect Lars Puff. "We chose materials that recede and demand no attention"—evident in the polished grey concrete floor of the ground level.

The open-plan living zone is where family life unfolds, easily extending outdoors via a side terrace. This terrace mirrors the room's footprint directly above, opening down to the basement level and garden beyond.

Upstairs, the light wood flooring engages the senses tactilely—inviting barefoot wandering. A surprising window interrupts the upper floor—not on the outer facade, but opening onto the double-height void behind the glazed wall. This layering connects the levels, extending the view inward and drawing the landscape unexpectedly into the home's interior.

www.hpa.de

Photography Credits:

Detlef Podehl
www.podehl.com

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 01|21)