Beck Oser Architects

The residential building with its imposing barn is located on Benkenstrasse in the protected village center of Bättwil. The house was renovated a few years ago, but the barn's poor structural condition prevents its preservation despite its listed status. The replacement building will house apartments, taking inspiration from the barn’s roof shape and facade lines. The existing gable end facing the garden will be omitted in favor of a minimalist balcony structure. The balcony's roof begins at the eaves and appears as a simple, open section of the roof. The design and materials correspond to the street-facing facade, where a traditionally existing roof overhang creates a filtering layer. This layer includes balconies and covered entrances, clad with wooden slats spaced at varying intervals.

The apartments are oriented north-south and designed with a permeable layout. The rooms are arranged to the side of the dining/kitchen and living area. This allows for a room to be placed on the quiet garden side. The stepped design, with the central core leading down to the living and garden rooms, follows the natural slope of the terrain, making it a central design element. In the maisonette apartments, the staircase in the core leads from the living area to the bedroom level, located above the entrance level of each apartment. The living area features extra-high, open spaces extending to the roof, creating a strong spatial connection to the bedroom level. These generous rooms, along with the understated and honest choice of materials—exposed concrete ceilings, wooden floors, plastered walls, and windows, terraces, and facade cladding—are intended as a reminder of the building's original use as a barn.

The project exemplifies a moderate densification of village centers through the conversion of former agricultural buildings. The original character of the barns is to be preserved. The chosen mix of apartments, including single-story and maisonette units, allows for a careful use of the attic spaces, rather than one focused on maximizing profit. This avoids major alterations to the roof surfaces for terraces and windows, such as roof cutouts or extensions.