Lucerne, Switzerland
The existing monastery complex with its historical library and archive is the most important Capuchin monastery in Switzerland and with monastery buildings, farm buildings, monastery gardens, trees and intact monastery walls, it’s considered an important cultural monument with regional appeal. At the Capuchin monastery in Wesemlin, apartments have been created for people who are looking for the deeper meaning of life and have an affinity for spiritual questions.
Francesco by Marques Architekten AG, won an 2025 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The wooden residential building is to be understood in interaction with the nearby utility buildings. This creates a living space that can be read as an intersection between the monastic area and the residential area of Wesemlin. The building complements the monastery complex atmospherically, so that the monastery area with its buildings, outdoor spaces, gardens and trees is preserved and the creation of living space does not compete with the monastery.
The building is typologically compact and organized around a core, which is designed as an atrium with a continuous gallery, a staircase and an elevator. On the ground floor there is the entrance to the underground car park, the bicycle parking spaces, a main entrance with the mailboxes and a garden-oriented practice area of approx. 250 m2. The floor plan consists of four approximately 100 m2 3 1⁄2 room corner apartments and two approximately 60 m2 2 1⁄2 room apartments and extends from the first to the fifth floor.
The basement with car parking hall, the stair core and the partition walls of the apartments are made of reinforced concrete and guarantee fire protection, earthquake safety and sound insulation. The supporting structure consists of a wood-concrete composite construction, non-load-bearing interior walls and the exterior walls are designed as pure wooden stud walls.
The delicate facade ornamentation, the protruding surrounding cornices and the vertical supports create a play of light and shadow that dissolves the monumentality of the building. This effect is reinforced by the curve of the building and the slightly conical facades.
The building impresses with its simple material keyboard. The facades and structural timbers made of impregnated spruce are complemented by the sandblasted, dark-colored concrete on the outside and merge with the surrounding groups of trees thanks to their dark appearance. The interior is dominated by light wood, such as spruce on the ceilings and windows, complemented by oiled ash floors and exposed concrete beams.
The access situation through the existing monastery wall was designed to be particularly reserved in order to preserve the strength of the closed complex and to sacrifice as little historical building structure as possible. The positioning of the new building enables maximum preservation of the existing monastery gardens. The compact design leaves enough space for the aura of the monastery buildings. The open arcade along the monastery wall connects the new building with the historic monastery complex and completes the ensemble.
Due to the modest land consumption, the resource-saving and sustainable construction method, and the use of regional and natural materials, this building can be viewed as a groundbreaking and sustainable solution to numerous current challenges. A contemporary building was created that embodies the values of the Capuchin Order.
Architects: Marques Architekten AG
Lead Architects: Daniele Marques and Rainer Schlumpf
Design Team: Martin Walter, Sonja Fuchs, and Dario Andreoli
Landscape Architects: Appert Zwahlen Partner AG
General Contractor: Stadelmann Baumanagement AG
Client: Stiftung Kapuzinerkloster Wesemlin
Photographers: Kuster Frey
