Lütolf und Scheuner Architekten: Annex renovation on Mittlergass - best architects 25

Lütolf und Scheuner Architekten

Annex renovation on Mittlergass

best architects 25

renovation and addition

Place

Lucerne, Switzerland

Photos

Roger Frei

Description

Built in the second half of the 18th century, the residential building at Stadtstrasse 33 forms an important part of the continuous eastern row of houses in the town centre. To the east of the property, in a neighbourhood characterised by narrow alleyways, a garden plot extends from the main house, accessed through an annex. This annex was to be renovated in harmony with local architectural and heritage conservation concerns to create a modern studio. The two-storey annex, a simple frame construction on a stone base, uses parts of the existing building fabric and builds on the existing structure in terms of its positioning and basic form. As an interface within the spatial organisation, the building serves both as studio space and a passageway to the garden plot. Raising the roof, while retaining its typology, changed the arrangement of volumes. The main roof is covered with a photovoltaic system. Equipped with generous south-facing glazing, the studio space on the upper floor is oriented towards the courtyard on Mittlergass. The light blue paint picks up on the colour scheme of the existing building from the 1960s while responding to the delicate, pastel shades found in the area, taking on an elegant and fresh look next to the main house. As a surprising jewel in the second row of the small town, the design is intended to delightfully enrich the townscape and provide valuable services to the residents as a modern annex.