Büro Konstrukt
New neighbourhood centre Wesemlin, Lucerne
best architects 24
multi-family homes
Place
Lucerne, Switzerland
Studio
Photos
Mark Niedermann
Description
The client’s intention was to establish a meeting
place in the neighbourhood with new small flats, a community hall and shops.
This brief required an urban planning approach that would lend the new building
the radiance of a focal point. A striking four-storey building – slightly set
back from the row of houses – occupies the corner of the street as a solitary
accent. The concentration of the building mass creates attractive,
differentiated outdoor spaces, which are conveyed by urban motifs such as
piazza, arcade and courtyard. These elements give rise to a town-centre building
with a strong identity, which manifests itself architecturally in relation to
the neighbourhood as well as in the interior. At each corner, the building has
volumetric setbacks that break the externally perceptible dimension down to a
scale tailored to the neighbourhood. Inside there is a surprisingly large and
open residential and access courtyard. This is symbolic of the Catholic Church
of Lucerne’s intention to offer places and spaces that create opportunities for
people to meet. The chosen typology of the courtyard building creates optimal
conditions for communal living. All the flats and the neighbourhood meeting
place benefit from the strong community-oriented identity of the courtyard.