Zurich, Switzerland
Giving the impression of unfinished and raw, the Residential Barn by Boris Egli of BE Architektur is inspired by the schüür, Switzerland’s traditional barns while being a 215-square-meters contemporary residential structure that blends discreetly into its rural setting.
“From a distance, the residence discreetly blends into its rustic surroundings,” comments the office.
The outer façade is covered with glazed spruce wood formwork, as can also be found on a Schüür.
Based on this, a pitched roof was built with the customary local tile covering.
The window sashes that can be opened are hidden behind the wooden formwork.
In front of the large fixed glazing, wooden sliding doors were installed as sun protection, blackout, and privacy screens.
The building responds to the topography of the property.
The hillside usually requires excavation behind the building and a landfill in front of the house.
This was deliberately avoided.
Of course, several rising living levels follow parallel to the existing slope.
Usually, a Schüür serves primarily as a storage room as well as a work and workshop space for agricultural production.
Although the new building is not a storage room, rooms such as bedrooms, bathrooms, storage rooms, etc. are stored as closed volumes – in a figurative sense like “stacked on top of each other.”
A sculpture-like interior structure emerges from what is “layered”: a positive spatial volume in the building.
Around this stacking, a negative spatial volume is created as openly connected living spaces in the vertical and horizontal with a generous interior and endless expanse.
The new building takes on the simple and raw effect of a barn in its own way through the choice of materials.
The floor is made of raw concrete floor slabs and the walls have been designed with a special plaster.
Two different materials, such as concrete and plaster, are processed over the entire surface – appearing similar – which expressively characterizes the interior effect.
The free-standing exposed concrete double garage was formed with the same wooden formwork as the house facade.
On the gently sloping concrete gable roof, a solar system lies above it like a carpet.
Project: Residential Barn
Architects: BE Architektur GMBH
Lead Architect: Boris Egli
Civil engineer: suisseplan Ingenieure AG
Client: Private
Photographers: Vito Stallone
