Centre for Geriatric Psychiatry in Pfäfers
Boldly enthroned above the Rhine valley in Switzerland stands the former Benedictine abbey of St Pirminsberg. As early as 1845, a psychiatric clinic was erected here. The new structure for geriatric psychiatry closes off the existing ensemble of baroque monastery and clinic buildings. The projections and set-back sections of the present complex serve to articulate the overall volume and reduce the length of the facades, so that the structure forms a transition from the large scale of the clinic area to the smaller-scale village developments. In addition, the relief-like nature of the brick outer skin mediates between the solid monastery walls and the traditional houses, which are clad partly with wooden shingles. Above all, though, the construction meets the constraints of geriatric psychiatry.
