camponovo baumgartner architekten

Description

The Roth House in Muri stands on the site of a former abbey, southeast of the old monastery wall, the remains of which are still partially recognisable. Therefore, we called the renovation and expansion of the residential home «intra muros». This describes our central idea in this project: to strengthen the enclosure. In this way, the interior and exterior of the historical complex regain their importance. To find a solution that engages both the historical setting and contemporary demands, we had to rebuild and expand the residential and occupational home for adults with disabilities. The question of compatibility of the different demands was the challenge and, at the same time, our driving force to sound out the design potential of the task. Finally, we found a subtle language that facilitates the continuum of the old and the new. The four-storey, monolithic extension grows out of the original building. The elongated extension strengthens the enclosure by standing on the old monastery wall. With its narrow volume, the extension creates space for the green area next to it. Its bare concrete façade with horizontal wooden formwork reflects the tectonic structure of the wall. The minimal extension creates maximum space inside. This is reflected in the connection between the new and the old build: the extension tapers off towards the historical Roth House. Inside, our idea of continuum takes the form of a long, curved wall that opens up space for smooth movement, especially with wheelchairs.