house in the march district of switzerland by kit architects

house in the march district of switzerland by kit architects
photo © dominique marc wehrli
all images courtesy of kit architects

‘house in the march district’ by kit architects is located in the midst of a densely populated suburban neighborhood near the bank of a narrow brook. working with a modest sized parcel, the main concept for the scheme was to minimize the footprint while fulfilling the client’s request for a four-car garage.

concept model showing the raumplan layout
photo © dominique marc wehrli

to develop a connection to the surrounding garden, the building was designed as a split-level raumplan. this allows there to be a procession with different degrees of intimacy, light qualities, and orientations. the program is shoehorned into the constricted envelope by upending the traditional house plan. instead of common  on the ground floor and the private rooms above, the two are squeezed side by side in vertical strips and divided by a single wall.

steps lead up to one of the common area platforms
photo © dominique marc wehrli

to the south, the living area is organized as a sequence of open spaces on different levels. the entrance as the starting point begins a seamless transition between inside and outside. through the dining room circulation is brought to a large lounge, which connects to a more intimate location reserved for the residents at the top. on each level, a door connects the bedrooms located on the north side of the wall, creating an immediacy between the community of the family and the privacy of it’s members. exposed concrete and broad windows add to the feeling of ease and openness in the house’s mezzanine-like living areas.

bedroom with sunlight shining through a large window
photo © dominique marc wehrli

the façade is clad with a trowel thrown plaster, a traditional craft which creates a rough and irregular finish. the material is double coated with a warm white base and a reflecting silver layer to accentuate the tips of the grain, giving depth to the surface and allowing the building to change it’s expression depending on the point of view and the lighting conditions.

dining area
photo © dominique marc wehrli

library room
photo © dominique marc wehrli 

steps between the dining and living area
photo © dominique marc wehrli

stair detail
photo © dominique marc wehrli

concept model showing the raumplan layout
photo © dominique marc wehrli

floor plan level -1 to 0 

floor plan level 1 to 2

floor plan level 3

site plan

project info:

year: 2013
type: residential, private house
location: march district, switzerland
size: 1’370 m3 | usable area 325 m2
architecture: kit architects
quantity surveyor and construction management: laterza graf baupartner GmbH
structural engineering: WGG schnetzer puskas ingenieure AG
electrical engineering: adrian mettler AG
environmental engineering: caltronic GmbH and 3-plan haustechnik AG
photography: dominique marc wehrli

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