identity
roots
living
integration

Arnfels /Austria
Children's Home - Residental Community
Realization 2006 - 2008
"Villa Up and Down" - Pro Juventute Sonnweg


Children's Home for 13 (+ 1) children of the Children's Charity
Association Pro Juventute

The “Villa Up and Down” is a new house for 13 (+ 1) neglected children in South Styria.

It consists out of 3 elements:
- an inner courtyard: the Red Heart
- a carer corridor of power (Betreuerschaltstelle)
- the yellow Livingband

The Red Heart together with the carer corridor of power is situated in the middle of the house, the rest of the "livingprograms" wrap as Livingband around these 2 elements up. Therefore, the topography of the site is embraced optimally: the slightly hillside situation supports the wrapping concept.

As a result of the successive wrapping up of the Livingband,
- level by level -
and because of the numerous connections of the different levels into the Red Heart, as well as because of the (not yet mentioned) shortcuts, a building is designed with many connections, ways and spaces of experiences and adventures.

An always Up and Down through the difference of the floor levels is locating the inhabitant always to different altitudes. One is not living in a house with a ground floor and a first floor connected by one staircase, but one is living in a LANDSCAPE with stairs, and spaces of fluent transitions. Analogous we could give this house only one name: VILLA UP AND DOWN.