Around its headquarters in Brugg, the Swiss Farmers' Union owns several centrally located properties that were suitable for densification. The new buildings designed for this purpose, an office building and a residential building, form an ensemble together with the "House of the Swiss Farmer", the Schilplinhaus and the Vindonissa Museum. Old and new come together to form a mosaic of houses, gardens and courtyards. In their unity, they create their own identity as a counterpart to the old town, school complex and residential district.
The office building represents the extension of the SBV headquarters. The three-storey building, bent on the south side, is elongated and like a passable piece in its surroundings. The structure and materialisation seek an ideal reference to the client and thus also to the Swiss timber construction tradition.
The light-flooded rooms are characterised by the visible wooden construction. The window and column grid of 1.35 m forms the basic dimension for both the room division and the ribbed ceilings, which are constructed in wood in combination with concrete. The floors, which can be freely divided under the rhythm of the beams, allow for different working environments, from open-plan offices to group offices to individual offices. Membrane-like glazing encloses the transparent corridor. The spacious entrance hall is also a cafeteria; it serves as a meeting place for the surrounding buildings. On the second floor, four generously proportioned apartments are offered. A loggia along the entire length of the south façade creates well-protected outdoor spaces for them.
In the sense of ecologically sustainable materialisation, local raw materials were selected in advance - the proportion of domestic construction timber is over 80 per cent. The naturally pre-weathered wooden façade with the cantilevered roof is a low-maintenance and durable construction. The building is part of the neighboring heating network and is supplied by the heating center operated with wood chips. Solar systems on the roof heat the service water.
Source: pool architekten
Pictures: Andrea Helbling, Georg Aerni
