bob gysin partner
Mettenweg residence
Description
Care and living with an alpine view
The site is characterised by contemporary architectural
witnesses to different eras in a hamlet-like arrangement as well as by wide
fields and a mountain panorama. The new residential care home reacts to its
surroundings with its faceted appearance and forms spatial focal points on the
exterior and in the interior through the arrangement of the four volumes. On
the outside, a main square and discreet side entrances are created, while
inside, circuits and collective spaces replace corridor areas. A «filter area» with lounging possibilities and shared bathrooms is located in front of
the individual rooms in all residential groups, creating a smooth transition
between the public communal areas and the private home. The façade and
construction design tie in with the local building tradition and are based on
the logic of traditional timber construction with structural timber protection:
the ground floor made of in-situ concrete and prefabricated concrete elements
forms the base for the timber construction above. The use of a sprinkler system
allows the supporting structure to remain visible in the interior. Massive
pilaster strips structure the façade and create a connection between the
storeys, and instead of a metal cover, a replaceable spoilboard protects the
transom on each floor, which in turn protects the façade. A chemical wood preservation agent was applied
only to heavily used building elements, and the amount of wood used for the structure
(785 m3) can regenerate in the Swiss forest within 38 minutes.