Aita Flury architektin Parameter Architekten GmbH

Description

The project involves the adaptation of a residential building from 1903, which was extended in the 1970s, in order to meet the living requirements of a young family today. Every conversion involves dealing with the fundamental question of the relationship between old and new. It is always a question of how respectfully a project approaches the existing building, takes it up and simultaneously transforms it. The continuation of the existing consists in the formation of a new entity on a higher level. This is not explicit: the new does not stand next to the old, but rather grows out of it and is intimately interwoven with it. The design integrates both the original substance and the later, additive interventions from the 1970s. While the exterior is only slightly adjusted, the interior is reformulated: On the ground floor, the central corridor that zoned the nearly square floor plan is virtually dissolved in favour of a more open spatial structure. A new wooden beam, which rests on a strong wooden support, structurally supports the first floor and at the same time allows the former cell structure to emerge. The support itself becomes the central motif of the open dining-living space. The structural design of the form played a central role in the spatial concept and was only made possible by clever engineering that integrates cultural history. Contrary to todays tendencies, the built-in furniture as essential components of the floor plan do not seek flexibility/neutrality, but rather the specific.