Diethelm House / Modunita architects sa

Diethelm House / Modunita architects sa

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Text description provided by the architects. The existing buildings are located in the municipality of Felsberg in Graubünden. The historical stock consists of a residential house with a hay barn. This stock was expanded and supplemented over time with some additions.

The basic idea was to enhance the historic buildings, whereby the subsequent additions were to be demolished. The residential building was completely preserved. The shape of the old hay barn was preserved but extended with the same basic shape in the ridge direction. The body connecting both buildings was deconstructed and extended with a simple wooden structure. With this intervention and the simple intermediate structure, the main buildings are better accentuated and preserve their original characteristics.

The ensemble consists of two residential units. On the one hand the old farm building with intermediate building and on the other hand the existing residential house. However, no construction work was carried out on the existing residential building.

One of the main focuses was to furnish the old farm building with simple and authentic elements in order to make the hay barn recognizable as such. The black wood, as well as fine vertical openings, help the building to have a barn-like appearance.

The hay barn was divided into two floors. Access from the street is through the first floor, where the former gate was located. This floor also accommodates a guest room with a shower and wet room, a studio with a cellar, and a technical room. On the upper floor is the living area of the building with the kitchen and another room with a bathroom and dressing room. From this level, you can reach the covered terrace in the intermediate building. Above the living room is a gallery for lounging.

The garden played a central role in the design, all three elements are oriented towards it. It serves as a meeting place for the residents to exchange ideas.

The old stone masonry and the existing roof structure of the barn were fundamental elements in the project planning, which were always taken into account in the conversion. These materials were to be preserved, exposed, and enhanced with natural and raw materials. Thus, the existing structure was supplemented with exposed concrete, solid larch planks, dark wood boarding, and copper sheeting.