G O A - Gerber Odermatt Architekten: Forsthaus Chopfholz - best architects 17

G O A - Gerber Odermatt Architekten

Forsthaus Chopfholz

best architects 17

other buildings

Place

Rüschlikon / Switzerland

Photos

Lorenz Cugini

Description

Chopfholz Forest Lodge is located in a forest clearing on the left shore of Lake Zurich, at the highest point of the municipality of Rüschlikon. In order to assert its presence amidst the tall trees, the house was given a high, sharply pitched roof. A covered terrace was cut out of the building volume on the lake side, and on the north side the angle of the stairs leading to the upper floor is echoed on the façade. Two round windows in the gables, a massive oak support at the entrance, chimneys with anthropomorphic forms and a dormer in the roof sum up the remaining distinguishing features of the reserved cabin. The wooden cladding was treated with Scandinavian pine tar. Together with the dark roof, this makes for a continuous black shell that exudes a distinctly smoky aroma. Following the typology of the »primordial hut«, the forest lodge receives visitors in a single, spacious hall equipped with a kitchen and an archaic-looking steel fireplace. A certain degree of abstraction was deliberately sought here: the guests should have a cosy, sheltered feeling sitting at massive wood tables under a lofty wooden hat. The panelling of untreated, nearly knot-free silver fir reinforces this abstract impression. At the same time, the haptics and fragrance of the fir once again instil a feeling of familiarity and security. While outdoors the wood is dark and weather-resistant, it is encountered inside in its naked state: vulnerably soft, warm and with a silky sheen.