The Barn, Going am Wilden Kaiser: Mostlikely's Timber House in Tyrol

From the road it reads like one of the old farm barns that dot the Tyrolean meadows. Step inside and The Barn in Going am Wilden Kaiser is a 310 m² family home of warm timber and pale concrete, with the peaks of the Wilder Kaiser filling its windows.

The Barn by Mostlikely and Mark Neuner

The house was designed by architect Mark Neuner with the Mostlikely design collective and completed in 2012. It is a single-family home of about 310 m² (roughly 3,300 sq ft) in the Kitzbühel region of Tyrol.

Neuner's team set out to achieve what they called "regional authenticity". The barn-like outline and the timber cladding take their cue from the agricultural buildings of the village, so the new house sits comfortably beside its neighbours. Wood continues inside, giving the rooms the relaxed feel of a ski lodge.

Concrete walls etched with Alpine myths

The surprise is in the interior walls. Neuner chose concrete for them because, as he put it, it allowed for "magic". Using a corrosion process, the designers etched flowers and creatures into the surface, motifs meant to recall the legends of the Alps.

The contrast works on two scales. From a distance you see the barn's simple mass; up close, the walls reveal small hidden figures that reward a second look. Timber brings warmth of colour and texture, while the concrete gives a cool, steady background to the changing light from outside.

Going am Wilden Kaiser: the village and the ski area

Going is a village of about 1,900 people at 773 m in the Kitzbühel district of Tyrol. It lies between the Kitzbühel Alps to the south and the limestone wall of the Wilder Kaiser to the north, about 8.5 km from Kitzbühel and 5 km from St. Johann in Tirol. Its neighbours include Ellmau, Oberndorf, Reith bei Kitzbühel and Kirchdorf.

In winter the Astbergbahn chairlift links Going directly to the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental ski area, so you can ski from the village straight into the wider network. In summer the same slopes and the Wilder Kaiser are good hiking country. The Going tourism site lists lifts, trails and accommodation.

The Barn is a private home. For more mountain architecture, see Norway’s Split View lodge and a studio disguised as a stack of logs.

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• Ten Handmade-House Images and Four Projects Explained in Detail

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