Simple Forms of Construction in Switzerland

How can one build simply and still satisfy the needs of users? In a series of schemes, the architects, who have specialized in housing construction in the canton of Lucerne, have sought to make the changing seasons perceptible to residents, to establish links to the natural environment and to stimulate a sense of community, at the same time allowing scope for withdrawal and a sense of privacy. A more conscious approach is required from the occupants in the use of their houses, as well as an ability to get on with neighbours, since the schemes are based on an extensive communal infrastructure. The houses are laid out in groups of two or three about a communal central courtyard that also serves as a play area for the children of the estates. A construction system was chosen that allowed dry finishings to be used throughout. The external and internal framed-timber walls are lined internally with wood fibreboard and insulated with cellulose. The walls are moisture-diffusing yet windproof. They allow a good exchange of air and ensure a balanced indoor climate. Externally, the facades are clad with three-layer softwood laminated sheets with a ventilated cavity to the rear. The floors consist of solid, glued wood sheets with oriented-strand board finishings manufactured from the waste products of sawmills. All visible elements in wood, such as the doors and frames, are left untreated. Further economies are achieved by the central installation of service runs and by laying electric cables in surface ducts. The central element of each house is the wood-fired stove situated on the ground floor in the open kitchen and living area, which it heats by radiation. The rooms on the upper floor are heated by warm air convection. Three cubic meters of beech wood are adequate to heat each house in winter. Hot water is provided byaheat-exchange unit in the stove, by electric heaters and by solar collectors. The building costs are roughly 25 per cent below those prevailing locally for conventional forms of construction.