This house on Lake Scharm'tzel, which was recently awarded the German Timber Construction Award, is a summer and weekend escape for a family with two children. As committed urban dwellers (they spend most of their time in a flat in downtown Berlin), the family was not willing to give up their urban way of life and move to the suburbs, so they opted for a retreat that would provide the maximum contrast to their everyday life in the city. The result is a simple refuge that interacts harmoniously with the surrounding landscape. Design concept and solution: The desire to leave