transition rappersbühl

the rappersbühl ensemble works with the given elevations, the natural surroundings, the architectural positioning and the resulting interspaces. it integrates itself into the landscape and grows together with it. the sloping roofs, one made of shingles, one planted, read as part of the constructive landscape, mark the architecture and, together with the historic trees, give the place identity – a built poetry in the play of the seasons.

the sloping, green folded roof, which opens towards the courtyard, is integrated into the ensemble as a flower meadow. the landscape growing above it enters into a symbiotic relationship with the architecture and nature. the interaction with nature and the materiality taken from the site is just as close: on the one hand the pine and spruce wood from the surrounding forest, the stones from the site for the masonry, the coloured concrete based on the found clay, with its formwork brushed from wooden boards. the plaster in the interior, clay, is found in the excavation of the earth. a working with the site. in the main building, a ribbon of coloured concrete, with the local features, outlines the architecture, which rests on the façades, partitions made of pine, felled and processed from the company’s own rappersbühl forest. this works with projections and recesses of the vertical elements, with open and closed surfaces and colourful details such as oversized rain gutters. the band bends at the end point, becomes the client’s retreat and is made entirely of wood. inside, a work with natural light, special atmospheres and spatial situations, clearing away. the materials – wood and clay – create the special transitions: spruce, soaped white, was used for all walls and furniture. special details painted in the historic red colour enhance and sharpen these. in addition, stone and clay. in dialogue with the clients, a farmhouse was created that becomes one with nature, integrates the historic trees into the architecture, works with found materials and captures the power of the place.

when you arrive at rappersbühl, the first thing you recognise is the avenue of trees, the historic trees that frame the view. a first volume, a constructive wooden building with wooden shingles in the slope, leads the view on to the meadows and the constructed landscape slope. below, below – in the morphology – the 5 holiday flats. above, the meeting room with fireplace. the barn, the fountain, the sauna and the oven are positioned at a distance, forming a courtyard situation with the centuries-old trees and completing the site. the most striking and largest building, due to the large number of livestock, is the barn. the timber construction stands on a concrete base, gives the cows a run and works with details and vertical elements that set a rhythm in the façade and tie in with the traditional details, yet interpret them in a contemporary way.

the project is a feel-good place and reflects the feeling that characterises a day outdoors: simplicity, closeness to nature, light, warmth, timelessness and a sense of special features. the direct contact between architecture and nature creates harmony and tension at the same time and in this way reflects the magic of the place.

“not in a place shall you build, but the place shall you build.”