Stähelin Partner architectes

Description

The Laufen children's home and youth centre offers space for 18 residents aged 7 to 17 years. As with the existing buildings from the 1970s, the educational concept is reflected in the architecture. Three residential groups are combined together in one building and can be seen spatially as three units. This should ensure that the children and young people do not feel as if they are in a large institution, but rather are a family. The new build is located to the west of the site between the forest and the existing buildings. To meet the different needs for rest and community, there is a strict definition between public, semi-private and private areas. The ground floor, with the reception and library, serves as an interface to the public. In order to protect privacy, it is not directly connected to the upper floors. Due to the hillside location, hidden areas are created outside, which are important places of retreat for children and young people. The three, shared apartments on the upper floor can be read as three units and are connected to each other via a corridor. On the attic floor are the group rooms, whose volumes make the three-part division of the building visible from the outside. Here the terrace serves as a connecting element. For a maximum integration into the surroundings, the façades are in mint green plaster, which reminiscent of the copper sulphate colour of the local church tower roof.