Merging indoors and outdoors: Das Haus 2020

With the interpretation of “Das Haus” by MUT Design, imm cologne is set to play host to a highly architectural creation once again in 2020. The Spanish creatives will present a visionary living concept in which the inside of the house is turned to face the outside. By removing the boundaries between the interior rooms and between the internal and external space, the living experience is opened up, not only to nature but also to the community of residents – and the world beyond.

Das Haus 2020 is reminiscent of a classical pavilion: formed from the combination of a circle and a square, styled with minimalist furnishings, open on all sides. It’s an example of ideal architecture, perfect for a house nestled within the Albufera. The colours of this breathtaking lagoon landscape were an inspiration for Alberto Sánchez and Eduardo Villalón – who founded MUT Design ten years ago – in their selection of materials and harmonious colour schemes for their vision of home living for imm cologne 2020. With their abstract approach, the designers from Valencia have succeeded in making an aesthetically persuasive and – thanks to their notion of a hybrid space – hugely appealing statement in support of a living concept that unites architecture and nature, the indoors and outdoors, opportunities for privacy and communal living.

Set in an open landscape and enclosed by a large glazed façade, Das Haus by MUT Design would be a perfect holiday home. But restricting this architectural concept to getaways from the everyday is too limiting. Life in direct contact with an environment that is as close to nature as possible reflects a very real need that is steadily growing, especially among city dwellers. Progressive architecture is responding to this need with large glazed façades, bright rooms and an apparently seamless transition between internal and external spaces. With their architectural design, which is entirely open to its surroundings MUT Design are taking this idea to extremes.

The circular general outline is framed by a flat square of reflective metal, which symbolises a body of water broken up by grasses. Artificial light is largely avoided. Instead, Das Haus radiates from within: the cave-like private area located in the centre between diagonally convergent wall panels is illuminated by a light source that aims to imitate the natural light of the sun as it moves across the sky over the course of the day.

“Life on the Mediterranean is synonymous with life outdoors. Since time immemorial, our homes have always incorporated an element of nature into their interiors,” MUT Design explain. Traditionally, the patio has been a shaded inner courtyard that forms the organisational centre in Mediterranean architecture. Social life also revolves around this hybrid space. However, in their concept, MUT Design have turned this structure around: Their “Haus” evolves from the inside towards the outside. Although the centre still appears to be the backbone of the house and is filled with daylight, the actual function of the patio as an integrated open-air space has been relocated to the outside. Perhaps visitors of this installation will be a little disconcerted as they search for the boundary between the indoors and outdoors – they won’t find it.

The structure of Das Haus seems to be upside down. The central area for retreat, the Refugium, is surrounded by four veranda-like spaces: a room for relaxation and dressing, an activity area, a kitchen and an area for personal hygiene. “Our intention was to soften the boundaries between indoors and outdoors,” says Alberto Sánchez, summarising the concept. The Spanish design team has therefore not only brought a piece of nature into the home – they have moved home life itself outdoors. “A bathroom in the open air exerts an immense fascination,” says Eduardo Villalón. “We can imagine that the experience of the warm summer has not only made outdoor kitchens more popular, but also increased the desire to experiment with outdoor bathrooms.”

High-quality tables, chairs, pouffes and rugs – all suitable for outdoor use – occupy the four spaces that open concavely outwards: an outdoor cooking station serves as the barbecue-ready kitchen; there is a hammock instead of a bed in the room designed for relaxation and the dressing and hygiene area is symbolically linked to the surrounding area of water.

Modern architecture not only seeks to create flowing transitions between indoors and outdoors; it designs fluid, multifunctional spaces in which furniture can assume highly diverse possibilities for use and form zones. This “loft” concept ensures expansiveness even on a small scale. A contemporary living space must be open to individual and changing functions.

In Das Haus by MUT Design, this forward-looking home culture will be staged as an experiment in the form of semi-circular sections of space linked to each other via the external sides. All the areas have an open design and are used communally. Cocooning is directed inwards, while community opens up outwards – this is how the highly symbolic architecture can be read. Only the room hinted at in the centre is conceived as a separate area with a corresponding closeness and cave-like architecture. It forms a space that can be used for meditation and quiet retreat. “The rooms are designed as individual entities, but they are simultaneously very open so as to create a feeling of the utmost fluidity,” explain Alberto Sánchez and Eduardo Villalón.