- Project: Two Houses And a Courtyard
- Architect: Mostlikely Architecture
- Location: Austria, Klosterneuburg
- Year: 2021
- Area: 410 m2
- Photography: Mostlikely Architecture
A Dialogue Between Old and New
Nestled in the green fringe of Klosterneuburg, north of Vienna, the Two Houses and a Courtyard project by Mostlikely Architecture presents a rich exploration of continuity, insertion and transformation. On a long, narrow plot with a modest 1950s house at its front and a wide view of the Danube-valley landscape at its rear, the challenge was not simply to build anew, but to enable the existing home to become part of a layered architectural narrative.
Rather than demolishing the original dwelling, the architects chose to honour it: the vintage house becomes a guest house and atelier, while a new volume is inserted behind, aligned to its predecessor. Between them lies a central courtyard — an atrium of sorts — that becomes the spatial hinge between past and present. The result: two houses, one site, and a richly interwoven sequence of times and spaces.
Architectural Strategy & Spatial Flow
The new building echoes the proportions of the 1950s house yet diverges significantly in its materiality and internal logic. The elongated nature of the plot is embraced by orienting the new house deep into the site, thereby liberating the rear garden and establishing a generous connection to the landscape beyond.
At the shorter side of the courtyard, a striking pergola – a black-metal structure infilled with timber slats – serves both as threshold and veil. These slatted panels rotate and fold like high doors, allowing the atmosphere of the courtyard to shift from open embrace to intimate refuge. Meanwhile, the façade of the new house uses the same timber slats as folding shutters for its large openings, creating a live surface of light, texture and movement.
Within the new house, the ground floor is conceived as a single open space structured through differences in floor level—responding to the site’s gentle slope. This multi-level “Raumplan” approach (in the spirit of Loos) allows living, dining, and kitchen areas to flow seamlessly while retaining subtle spatial differentiation. Vertical connections reinforce this openness—a circular cut-out in the ceiling introduces a visual and physical link between levels, even incorporating a netted lounge space mid-floor.
The garden, too, is integral—as much part of the living space as the interiors. Large sliding doors blur the edge between inside and outside, linking the courtyard to a natural pool and meadow beyond. Mature trees were preserved across the plot; their continuity with the architecture ensures the new structure remains grounded in its context rather than appearing as an alien object.
Materiality & Atmosphere
The material palette is intentionally restrained yet richly textured. Exposed concrete—bearing board-form imprints on ceiling surfaces, rough walls, smooth floor planes—serves as the solid backdrop to timber and glass elements. The play of timber slats—on the pergola, on the façade, as shutters—introduces warmth, light modulation and kinetic expression. Black metal frames accentuate the structure and lend precision to the composition.
These material choices foreground authenticity and tactility. Concrete walls deliberately carry the marks of their forming, lending an honest character to the interiors rather than concealing construction. Timber elements animate the exterior and mediate light and shadow in the courtyard and façade. Overall, the interplay of robust, raw material with responsive fin-detail contributes to a refined yet lived-in atmosphere.
Why This Project Stands Out
In a suburban context where the impulse is often to clear existing buildings and start anew, this project instead demonstrates elegance through retention and insertion. It shows how an older house can become part of a new ensemble—rather than being erased—adding layers of meaning, memory and spatial richness to the site.
Architecturally, the project offers a clear lesson in spatial sequencing: how a courtyard can organize movement and connection between old and new; how level changes and vertical voids can deepen experience; how material transitions can be adjusted to express both continuity and difference. For clients, it underscores a valuable approach: preservation and expansion need not compete—they can converse.
Moreover, in terms of architecture journalism, the project merits attention for its subtlety and discipline. It does not rely on sensational gestures, but rather on thoughtful calibration—between inside and out, between old and new, between raw materiality and refined detail. The result is a house (or rather two interlinked houses) that breathe, adapt, and resonate.
Final Reflection
The Two Houses and a Courtyard by Mostlikely Architecture encapsulates a design ethos that honours context, history and subtlety. It is not about statement form, but about quiet precision; not about spectacle, but about spatial intelligence. For anyone interested in contemporary residential design—particularly in infill or transitional suburban settings—this project offers a nuanced template: one that merges heritage with innovation, tangibility with transparency, and architecture with landscape.
