Camera Lucida studio by Christian Tonko

Firmly affixed on a slope along the hillside, the Camera Lucida is a small studio for drawing, painting, and sculpture, overlooking part of the lower rhine valley through the tilted glazing.

Architects: Christian Tonko
Location: Bregenz, Austria
Photographs: Eduard Huebers

The building features two separate levels which serve different functions, the semi-industrial character of the project stems from the reference to the typology of the shed roof factory.

The use of raw and untreated materials contributes to the character of a workshop. The facade panels are made from weathering steel while the interior surfaces consist of raw concrete, raw steel, and untreated oak.

Inspiration from architect:

On an underlying conceptual level the design is inspired by an ancient optical device – the camera lucida. On the one hand it is very literally a bright chamber – constructed to achieve good light conditions which can be modulated to desired levels. At the same time the studio itself acts as an optical framing device similar to the original function of the camera lucida as a drawing aid.