Rufer House, Protected residential building in Hietzing, Vienna, Austria.
The Rufer House is a protected residential building in Hietzing featuring a rectangular cubic form of roughly 10 meters on each side with white exterior walls and systematically arranged windows. A flat roof tops the structure, giving the building its distinctive modern outline.
Architect Adolf Loos designed this residence in 1922 for Josef and Marie Rufer, marking the first example of the Raumplan architectural style. This design approach transformed how modern architecture conceived of interior space and room organization.
The building displays replicas of Parthenon frieze segments along its upper exterior, blending classical art with modern design principles. This combination creates a space where ancient aesthetics meet contemporary architectural thinking.
The building incorporates a central column that houses plumbing systems and functions as a structural hub connecting different floor levels. This interior arrangement shapes how one moves through the rooms and which connections between floors are possible.
The seemingly random placement of windows on the exterior facade corresponds precisely to interior lighting requirements for specific rooms. This thoughtful strategy shows how Loos linked window placement functionally to the house's internal layout.
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