Schneider & Schneider Architekten
Aarhof residential and commercial building
best architects 16
multi-family homes
Place
Aarau / Switzerland
Studio
Photos
Roger Frei
Description
Located on the floodplain of the Aare River, directly at the foot of the old town, the three-storey residential and commercial building assumes the role of an intermediary between old town and river – in a distant analogy to a piece of driftwood. Despite its length, the jagged structure takes its cue from the scale of the heritage buildings in the old town. The individual apartments are separated by large terraces which give them a high degree of privacy. Thanks to its crenellated roof structure, the tiered volume affords residents views extending from the old town to the Aare Valley. The wooden exterior lends the building a feeling of lightness and distinguishes it from the medieval stone houses in its surroundings, so that the old town remains clearly legible as a cohesive ensemble. The playful design of the façades with their restrained rhythm helps articulate the volume. This ensures compliance with a provision of the city building code that limits building volume in this prominent location.