Lüdi & Müntener Architekten

Description

An existing, heritage-listed 19th-century farmhouse is complemented by four new buildings whose positioning creates a courtyard-like outdoor space. Drawing inspiration from the former agricultural arrangement of farmhouse and outbuildings, a village-like ensemble emerges. The individual volumes are staggered along the street, and the resulting in-between spaces allow for additional orientations within the floor plans. At the centre of the courtyard, a paved play area forms the heart of the ensemble. Equipped with seating, it offers residents a shaded place to linger during the warmer months and encourages spontaneous social interaction. The different house types share not only a hybrid construction method but also a consistent architectural expression: a base of in-situ concrete, finely articulated timber façades, and a unified roofscape of brown tiles and copper evoke the regionally typical tripartite façade composition. Hand-width wooden boards – used in various ways, whether as formwork for the concrete base or staircase, or assembled into board-and-batten façades or loggia railings – create diverse textures and a changing relief depending on the light. The beige plaster, red console frieze and green shutters of the existing farmhouse served as reference points for the colour palette of the new buildings. In this way, the five distinct houses form a visually coherent whole: a residential community.