Methods 33
Promenade A detailed site investigation was employed to establish a sequence of views towards the horizon and the blind spots of the neighbouring buildings. The blind spots suggested sections of walls which should act as ‘masks’ to hide the undesired context of the neighbouring buildings. The iterative design research process was supported by physical models and drawings that tested with precision the visual fields. Following the conceptual strategy of Steinberg’s The Line, the viewer in the Blind Spot House has to be active to experience the space. The interior promenade stitches different domestic experiences together and provides a continuous datum of site - and time-specific views: 1. View opposite the main entrance door towards the east: a narrow slice connecting the foreground of the surrounding green meadow to the sky, leaving out the middle ground. 2. Turning right, the main eating area has a wide-open floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall window facing south: a raised level with a suspended sun deck looking towards the middle ground of a steep bank falling down the hill as a ha-ha and concealing one whole part of the village.
3. Main living area (one level up): the view reaches west towards the horizon through a gap between two neighbouring buildings. 4. Working area views east: connecting the foreground to the middle ground. 5. Entrance view from first-floor window: the exterior is seen from above, almost in a plan view. 6. Bedroom view to the east: through rows of fruit trees and towards the rising hills of the Black Forest, a view of the morning sun. 7. Master bathroom: view far south into the Rhine Valley, towards France. No foreground, no middle ground, a true horizon line can be seen. This sequence of views demonstrates an interplay between occupant, distance and view: ‘closeness’ is followed by ‘farness’. Some of the window openings have fixed blinkers installed to focus the view even more onto the selected part of the vista. [fig. 33–36]