blgp architekten

Description

The Rosenhügel retirement home run by Residio AG has been extended several times in the course of its history. It originally consisted of east, south and west tracts connected via a central building. The central building with the main facilities thus linked three separate nursing wards. A new building now replaces the oldest section in the west. After the demolition of the west tract and central volume, the angle of the new building links the remaining structures. It bridges a gap in the street front and, as the centre of the ensemble, defines a new inner courtyard between the extension and the old building. The main entrance to the complex is now located in the new addition, giving onto a foyer that affords access to all new and pre-existing nursing wards. All public facilities are located on the ground floor of the new building, while 38 new nursing care rooms are housed here on two floors. The new building stands out from the rest with its exposed brickwork façade, for which white coal-fired waterstruck brick was used. The floor slabs are accentuated with prefabricated concrete elements that have Jurassic limestone aggregates and are in a shade that matches the hue of the brick. The characteristic concrete mix is also reflected in the materials used in the entrance area as well as in the inner courtyard, which reappear in somewhat modified form in the interiors. Exposed concrete, limestone and oak stand here for clean-lined and deliberate reduction.