BÜRO KONSTRUKT Architekten

Description

The vision for the future of the Benedictine Centre at the Convent of St. Andreas in Sarnen lies in opening up and restructuring it to incorporate a residential and care facility for ageing religious communities. The infrastructure was adapted to the demands of caring for the elderly. At the same time, the architectural proposal takes into account the simple lifestyle of the religious sisters. The Benedictine Centre now comprises 28 new nursing rooms, which have been distributed among different buildings – the St. Joseph House, the convent building and the Nazareth House – to fit the needs of the religious communities. The basic architectural approach was to implement the spatial programme with as few interventions as possible, taking into account the existing structures and building fabric. In order to improve the flow of people between the St. Joseph House and the convent complex, an intermediate building was replaced by a new structure. The new element is contemporary in expression but fits well into the complex with its centuries of development. The room layout follows the pattern of the existing structures and fixtures. In the attic, the load-bearing elements were upgraded in close collaboration with timber engineers and in the spirit of monument preservation and new rooms were added on this level.