Blättler Dafflon Architekten : RaBe duplex - best architects 20

Blättler Dafflon Architekten

RaBe duplex

best architects 20

single family homes

Place

Beinwil am See, Switzerland

Photos

Joel Tettamanti

Description

In the centre of the village Beinwil am See, on the edge of a forested ravine stands a semi-detached house. At first glance, it is house whose form seamlessly blends into its rural environment. A closer look reveals its versatile full-scale and functional facets. Due to its angled shape and two-part structure, the size of the house is barely noticeable. Nonetheless, the generous semi-detached house adds to the central density of the village and makes for economical use of the land. In its gently sloped position, the half-storey displaced floors of the building follow the mature terrain and provide level entrances as well as seating on the southern side and facing the evening sun. Two very different housing typologies fill the volume and find space, sun, privacy and views of the forest and the lake. The timber structure is clad with simple, dark, pre-weathered spruce formwork. The width of the formwork on the orthogonal façade surfaces measures 8 centimetres. On the «folded» surfaces, the formwork with 4 centimetres appears narrower, which recalls the appearance of folding blinds. White windows appear luminescent on the background of the dark wooden cladding and add to the composition of the façades. The soffits and the steeply angled sills are made of cedar. Three porches mark the entrances.