Log inSubscribe
DETAIL

House in the Canton of Aargau

This unusual house with a U-shaped layout and a clear facade articulation has been carefully integrated into an undulating, landscaped site on the edge of a wood. The reinforced concrete structure is faced on the outside with a rear-ventilated skin, consisting of large precast concrete elements that extend up above the roof slab. In their coloration and surface texture, they underline the solid volumetric expression of the building. Blast-furnace ash and crushed Nero Ebano stone were mixed with the concrete to achieve a black pigmentation.

House in the Canton of Aargau
© Heinrich Helfenstein

The irregular surface texture was formed by inserting latex moulds in the shuttering to create the appearance of a rock-like structure. After setting, the concrete was subjected to a special acid-cleaning treatment. The surface thus achieved can appear rough-textured or soft and velvety, depending on the incidence of light. Contrasted with this are the large window openings incised in the volume. The glazing to these is set flush with the facade. These elements also extend up to the edge of the roof, where they continue in the form of horizontal top-light strips. All other facade materials are more subdued in appearance. The internal spaces differ according to their orientation and view. Smooth, ivory-coloured surfaces create a warm, restrained tone that forms a further contrast to the rough exterior – a feature that is especially evident around the windows.

Architecture
Schneider & Schneider
Location
Aargau (CH)

Gallery

Summary

Issue
06/2006 Materials and Surfaces
Author
-
Source
DETAIL
Location
Switzerland, Aargau
Year of construction
-
Year of completion
-
Architecture
Schneider & Schneider

Participants & manufacturers

Building services engineering
Ingenieurbüro USIC
Masonry work
Wüest & Cie AG
Lighting
Kreon N.V.

Categories

Magazine
Materials and Surfaces
Facade
Concrete
Building type
Single family house
Load bearing structure
Reinforced concrete

  • Paul Van Ostaijen Culture Campus in Leuven

    Lava architecten transformed an old mission building in Leuven into a place where circus arts, music, theatre, and dance coexist under one shared roof. Effective soundproofing is the precondition for the shared use of the facility.

  • The Lost Shtetl Museum in Lithuania

    The Jewish Museum in Šeduva commemorates the culture of Eastern European towns before World War II. With their building, Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects from Finland reimagine the small-scale structure of one such village. Its residents were murdered in 1941 by Nazis and their local collaborators.

  • Resembling a bridge, the scaly armour of the UCCA Clay Museum spans across the passageways to the neighbouring buildings. Where this structure touches the ground, Kengo Kuma & Associates arranged shallow water basins.

    Museum of Ceramic Art in Yixing

    The new UCCA Clay Museum advances the millennia-old tradition of artisanal ceramics the Chinese metropolis Yixing is renowned for. An armour of red clay tile encloses the exhibition spaces and the open timber roof constructions above them – an expressive space for the presentation of modern ceramic art.

  • The fly tower of the Glasshouse Theatre consists of textured prefabricated concrete elements, while the ­existing QPAC displays smooth in-situ concrete. The continuity of colouration, however, is clearly visible.

    Glasshouse Theatre in Brisbane

    The Glasshouse Theatre adds a fifth venue to the heritage-listed Queensland Performing Arts Centre. It can be flexibly used for concerts, operas, and dance and theatre performances. The glass facades of the deeply cantilevered foyer visualise the theatrical art of illusion on the exterior.

  • The monastery originally comprised four wings and a cloister. In the south, a squat church with a single nave connects to the complex. The head building with its three apses, a bell tower, and a transept were added in the 13th century.

    Monastery of Santa María of Sijena

    In their restoration of the Monastery of Santa María of Sijena, Pemán y Franco and Sebastián preserve traces of destruction, rebuilding, and decay spanning 800 years. Recently, they remodelled the east and north wings into an exhibition space for the convent’s valuable artworks.

  • The medical facility features a separate entrance in the east. A pergola made of prefabricated concrete elements welcomes the clients.

    Overnight Shelter and Medical Facility in Munich

    Housing for the homeless often consists of stacked contain ers. While the overnight shelter designed by Hild und K utilises prefabrication, thoughtful details adorn the robust building through which the Munich-based office conveys impres sions of warmth and home.