bob gysin partner

Description

Care and living with an alpine view

The site is characterised by contemporary architectural witnesses to different eras in a hamlet-like arrangement as well as by wide fields and a mountain panorama. The new residential care home reacts to its surroundings with its faceted appearance and forms spatial focal points on the exterior and in the interior through the arrangement of the four volumes. On the outside, a main square and discreet side entrances are created, while inside, circuits and collective spaces replace corridor areas. A «filter area» with lounging possibilities and shared bathrooms is located in front of the individual rooms in all residential groups, creating a smooth transition between the public communal areas and the private home. The façade and construction design tie in with the local building tradition and are based on the logic of traditional timber construction with structural timber protection: the ground floor made of in-situ concrete and prefabricated concrete elements forms the base for the timber construction above. The use of a sprinkler system allows the supporting structure to remain visible in the interior. Massive pilaster strips structure the façade and create a connection between the storeys, and instead of a metal cover, a replaceable spoilboard protects the transom on each floor, which in turn protects the façade.  A chemical wood preservation agent was applied only to heavily used building elements, and the amount of wood used for the structure (785 m3) can regenerate in the Swiss forest within 38 minutes.