The expansion concerns a typical building from the 1960s, which will now additionally accommodate a family with three children. Lupsingen’s zoning regulations permit only residential buildings with one main living floor and one loft. The intention is to rebuild the roof truss as a loft, thus making maximum use of the roof space.
The concept is based on the legal outline for a roof, according to which, it must be possible to lead a roof’s corners back to the base of the building. At the same time, a gable wall can open floor-to-ceiling just one meter away from the corner. This allows for full orthogonal spaces. The spatial structure is defined by a three-dimensional cross with arms extending outward in four directions, offering a view on all sides. The balcony’s cantilever floorboards extend the space and make evident the construction of house on house, accessible independent of the base building.
After carrying away the existing roof, an offset ceiling of solid wood planks was placed on the remaining base. The addition comprises pre-fabricated wood building elements, which form four boxes structurally. The interior spaces thus have no slanting surfaces. A second level built by means of three-layer panels generates the outer form. The aluminium panels covering the roof form are glued and simply slotted rather than lapped like traditional metal roofs. A smooth, crystalline effect arises. Disproportionate, large, frameless glazing is built directly onto the structural wall elements. The opening wings are conceived as actual doors. The solid balcony railings mask the surroundings and give rise to an intimate space. A coating of fiberglass reinforced cast resin serves as protection for the exterior stairway to the roof level, which approximates an extension of the building.
- Location Lupsingen, Switzerland
- Client Private
- Project planning 1999
- Realization 1999-2000
- Architecture Buchner Bründler Architekten
- Partner Daniel Buchner, Andreas Bründler
- Photography Oliver Lang, Ludovic Balland, Buchner Bründler