L House | Zurich | Philippe Stuebi

COMPETITION:1st PRIZE

PLANNING- AND CONSTRUCTION TIME: 2003-2005

ARCHITECTURE / INTERIOR DESIGN / LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE / LIGHT PLANNING:PHILIPPE STUEBI ARCHITEKTEN GMBH, ZÜRICH
COLLABORATORS:MARKUS SCHIETSCH, PROJECT MANAGER, SVEN BESTENHEIDER, CHRISTINE HEIMGARTNER
COSTS AND TIME ADVISOR:RAPHAEL GRETENER BAUPLANUNG GMBH, ZÜRICH

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:BONOMO ENGINEER, RÜDLINGEN

BUILDING PHYSICS:BAKUS, ZÜRICH
PHOTOGRAPHY:DOMINIQUE MARC WEHRLI


THIS EXPRESSIVE VOLUMETRY IS A RESULT OF THE PARTICULAR FORM OF THE PLOT AND THE REQUIREMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTOR TO PLACE A MAXIMAL VOLUME ON THE PLOT. THE SPACE ALLOCATION PLAN WAS INCORPORATED IN THIS SCULPTURAL BODY BY THE METHOD OF HOLLOW OUT. THE CONCEPT WAS TO STRING TOGETHER THE REQUESTED SPACES TO ONE MOVEMENT GOING THROUGH THE HOUSE: STRETCHING, EXTENDING, NARROWING, GRINDING OUT FROM MASS, TO A COHERENT SEQUENCE OF SPACES ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF THE ENFILADE. EACH ROOM RECEIVES ITS COMPLETELY SPECIFIC CHARACTER IN SIZE AND FORM (CONICAL ENTRY AREA WITH WARDROBE AND GUEST WC., LARGE CUBIC DOUBLE-STORY ENTRANCE HALL, TRIANGULAR LOGGIA AS COLOR AREA, DOUBLE-STORY INSIDE ROUNDED LIBRARY WHICH IS DOWNSTAIRS THREE SIDED GLAZED, ETC.) SO THAT WHEN ENTERING AND GOING THROUGH THE HOUSE VARIOUS AND SURPRISING SPACE EXPERIENCES OCCUR. THE GROUNDFLOOR WALLS CONSISTS OF LARGE WASHED-OUT CONCRETE ELEMENTS (WHITE CARRARA MARBLE BALLS WITH WHITE CEMENT) WHICH ARE INTERUPTED BY SPACE-HIGH GLAZINGS. THE THREE-SIDED GLAZING OF THE LIBRARY IN THE GROUND FLOOR IS MIRRORED-GLASS. DEPENDING UPON TIME OF DAY AND LIGHTING CONDITIONS YOU CAN SEE THE STORED BOOKS OR THE REFLECTED GARDEN. THE UPPER FLOORS ARE IMPLEMENTED IN BRIGHT LIME RENDERING AND THE GLAZINGS IN NATURE-ANODIZED ALUMINIUM.
Images and text by Philippe Stuebi