
© Camponovo Baumgartner Architekten
› In 2016, I took part in the «Erstling» architecture criticism competition organised by the Swiss magazine werk, bauen + wohnen and the Association of Swiss Architects (BSA) with the following text.
The architects Camponovo Baumgartner have published the text on their homepage.
› In the middle of the village of Tägerwilen stands the small house of a retired couple. Facing the street, the building presents itself as an unusually high and narrow volume. An eye-catching feature of the street façade is the chimney with a shiny copper hat. Replaced in summer 2016, it bears witness to the former use of the building, which is over a hundred years old: it was the house and workshop of a coppersmith.
Together with the building owners, ways were considered to efficiently freshen up the old house and make it age-appropriate. The analysis of the existing building showed that a large part of the volume in the basement and attic was barely used. It was decided to renovate some parts of the house and to create a new structure, including densification within the house: the previous living space could be rented out and the basement converted into a retirement flat with direct access to the garden. The same building volume thus offers space for two families.
Upon entering, the visitor is immediately immersed in the warm atmosphere of the garden flat. A dark red, accompanied by a clay colour, runs through the entire flat and merges the rooms together. The original chambering was taken over and accentuated by closet walls, which create essential storage space. The flat, which is only about 65m2, is characterised by an enfilade that offers a view through and makes the new home seem larger than it actually is. A mirror in the entrance area also plays with this illusion. The entrance area, kitchen, living room and bedroom are lined up next to each other. The resulting aligned perspective ends with a view of the garden through a glazed door in the bedroom. The visavis of the noble-looking dark red built-in closets and the clay plaster, as well as the light and dark areas resulting from the one-sided lighting, give the flat a spatial diversity despite its small size and tight budget.
› In 2016, I took part in the «Erstling» architecture criticism competition organised by the Swiss magazine werk, bauen + wohnen and the Association of Swiss Architects (BSA) with the following text.
The architects Camponovo Baumgartner have published the text on their homepage.

© Camponovo Baumgartner Architekten