MJ2B architekten turns a former barn into apartments in cordast

for this project MJ2B architekten has carefully renovated a former agricultural building in the swiss village of cordast. dating back to the 1950s, the original construction had previously been converted to create a two bedroom apartment and maisonette. this most recent intervention involves the renovation of the existing apartment and maisonette in addition to the integration of a new spacious residence, called ‘farmhouse in cordast’.

all images © damian poffet

the building has a typical floor plan seen in agricultural typology consisting of a both a residential and working farm area, which used to house a stable, a coach house and a barn. the new ground floor apartment has been inserted into the existing building volume by MJ2B architekten. a two-story kitchen, dining and living room was built into the former stable area. a central core with sanitary rooms, a cloakroom and stairs effectively zones the kitchen and living room and creates a central entrance area.

the existing wing on the first floor is connected via the open staircase, which leads to a large six-room apartment. the barn becomes a polyvalent cold room and provides access to this apartment. new glass bricks provide daylight from above while large openings to the living spaces create unusually exciting visual references.

the existing façade masonry was largely preserved and further developed. framed wooden windows on both sides are reminiscent of the former barn windows and reveal the new use thanks to their generous size. the existing cladding on the elevation, as well as the large barn gates, have been inserted with vertical slots to filter in daylight and create an interesting interplay of light and shadow.

the existing two bedroom apartment on the ground floor was left as it is and gently renovated. on upper floor, the former maisonette has been converted into a three bedroom apartment.