Apartment Buildings in Mettmenstetten

The development, comprising 15 flats, is located on the main road in Mettmenstetten, flanking the southern entrance to the village in close proximity of the church. Measured against the scale of the neighbouring buildings in the historic village centre, the new building volume is relatively large. Hence, the programme is devided between two buildings that are shaped to blend sensitively into the small-scale surroundings on an elongated plot.

The two houses are similar in nature, but geometrically adapted to the respective situation in order to make ideal use of the irregular plot geometry. Volumetrically, the buildings are staggered in plan and section, giving the impression of four smaller buildings. The village is historically characterised by farmhouses with adjoining outbuildings, one of which still stands right next door today. The project builds on this vernacular typology and adopts it morphologically. Just like the residential buildings, the many barns and sheds in the village’s orchards have dark, weathered wooden façades, which create a warm, homely and archaic atmosphere. The project draws on color and material and attempts to carry this mood forward.

Within the narrow constraints of municipal building regulations for the core zone, the project incorporates many traditional elements like the roof pitch and break, the wide and slender canopies or the window formats. When fleetingly passing by, the houses should feel as if they have always been there. Upon closer inspection, however, they want to clearly be recognisable as contemporary pieces of architecture without attempting to appear historic.

Similar to the houses, the apartments are essentially the same, yet their floor plans are tailored to their specific position in the building. They feature a Z-shaped living space and a four-sided view. A square loggia is recessed into the building volume on the south side across the corner. It is an open outdoor space that simultaneously maintains a calm building volume from the outside, making the houses blend discreetly with the simple buildings in the historic neighbourhood.