Buchner Bründler Architekten finishes concrete housing blocks in Switzerland with colourful details
Exposed concrete surfaces are enlivened by colourful accents at this residential complex in Switzerland, designed by local architecture studio Buchner Bründler Architekten.
Named Rötiboden, the development of eleven terraced houses in varying sizes is located to the north of Wädenswil in central Switzerland, in a formerly agricultural area that has recently been subject to redevelopment.
Responding to the client's desire for a strong visual identity, Buchner Bründler Architekten finished the otherwise austere poured concrete blocks with vibrant details such as gutters, balustrades, awnings and staircases in shades of blue, green, yellow and orange.
"The project was developed in collaboration with the landowner, who grew up nearby on a farm," co-founder Daniel Buchner told Dezeen.
"High demand for residential property and speculation in the real estate sector have seen the northern slope of Wädenswil dominated by profit-driven development projects that offer neither social value nor character," Buchner added.
"The initiator's wish was to create a place with a strong identity, where families on smaller budgets could live together. Or, as she beautifully put it at the start: 'I wish for a place that sings'."
The Rötiboden development is comprised of two rectilinear volumes that are slightly rotated to follow the contours of the site. The space in between the two has been used to create a public square planted with a tree, described by the studio as its "communal heart".
"All outdoor spaces – gardens, courtyards and terraces – are connected horizontally and vertically and are available for use by the entire community," explained Buchner.
Each of the terraced homes is organised across three floors, connected via colourful spiral staircases and divided with wooden partition walls, clad in maritime pine panels to contrast the otherwise raw concrete surfaces.
The elevations of the block have been almost entirely glazed to give each home large, dual-aspect living spaces with views out across Lake Zurich and the Alps in the distance.
To the south, the blocks face the street behind a low wall that offers privacy to a paved shared patio. To the north, a ground-floor arcade is sheltered by the cantilevering terrace above, bookended by concrete stairs that lead to a sloping garden.
On the ground floor of the eastern block, a shared communal room with a large sliding glass opening looks out onto the central square, which is flanked by two green spiral staircases that externally link the first floor and rooftop terraces.
Blue metal balustrades wrap these terraces, while on the first and ground floors, a series of retractable orange awnings allow shading to be controlled.
Buchner Bründler Architekten is led by Buchner alongside Andres Bründler. Previous residential projects by the studio include an apartment tower in Wabern wrapped with large balconies and metal mesh and the Swiss Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010.
The photography is by Paola Corsini unless otherwise stated.
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