Celebrated Dutch architect and Pritzker Prize laureate (2000) Rem Koolhaas is not known mainly as a designer of private residences. However, the ones he has designed have become iconic. His famous private residence projects include the most recent three, all of them completed more than 30 years ago: the Maison à Bordeaux (1998), Dutch House (1995) and Villa dall?Ava (1991).

The recently completed Austrian House, located on a minuscule 40-foot-wide (12 metre) sloping site by the Zeller See, or Lake Zell, in the Austrian Alps, will undoubtedly settle in the iconic category as well..

The 78-year-old architect, founder of Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and professor of urban design and architecture at Harvard University, has throughout his career expressed strong convictions about large issues that affect societies, including climate change, democracy and innovation.
And in his design work, be it private houses or massive public and private developments, his strong vision has always been expressed in strong design.
In the Austrian House, the main challenge ? and opportunity, if you are Mr. Koolhaas ? was the tiny site that slopes down toward the lake. Working closely with the owner and with OMA?s Frederico Pompignoli who was also the lead architect, for example, in OMA?s Fondazione Prada project, Koolhaas tackled the challenge with a decisive and startling solution.

Perhaps the fact that the owner described his site as ?unbuildable? at a dinner with Kooolhaas...