Built in 2012-14 on the Gold Coast of Lake Zurich, house b seeks to bring back a clear sense of identity to an area which has succumbed to an otherwise generic suburban vernacular.

The exterior – built from rough-faced concrete – creates a striking intervention in the surrounding environment, and the single protruding window on the northern side gives the only indication of the actual size and scale of the house.

Photography: Rasmus Norlander