Residential barn featuring an unfinished interior in the Swiss rural landscape,
Be Architektur designed an unfinished residential barn in Hamlet,
which includes about 15 buildings in a rural and agricultural area in Switzerland.
Named after the Residential Barn in the Hamlet region of Switzerland, the 215 square meter building
It is a new home in the hamlet that “feels obligated to respect the historical context of the area.”
The interiors of the house feature smooth concrete walls that offer simplicity and few furnishing details to create an artistic look and comfort.
Be Architektur takes inspiration from the typical barn characteristics of the surrounding area and reinterprets it in a modern way.
To clad the façade in glazed spruce, the studio takes references from the same type of wood used in traditional Swiss barns.
The barn is supported by a hipped roof in a similar vein, with tiled roofs typical of the local architecture.
Openable windows are hidden behind wooden shutters,
while wide fixed glazing is faced with wooden sliding doors providing sun protection, darkness and privacy.
A raw steel girder acts as a gutter, projecting outside the base of the roof.
Downpipes omitted; Rain water pours from the side like a waterfall.
A building that responds to the topography of the site
Building on a slope usually requires excavation behind the building and backfilling in front of it,
but this approach was deliberately rejected.
Instead, the ground floor is arranged in a series of levels at different heights to follow the existing slope.
The barn is usually used for storage and as a workroom for agricultural production.
Although this new building is not a warehouse, its rooms – bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, etc. –
They are “stored” within it as enclosed volumes metaphorically stacked on top of each other.
The studio describes this “terrace” as a sculptural interior design,
a positive spatial volume within the building.
A negative volume forms around these stacks, incorporating a landscape of interconnected,
vertically and horizontally open living spaces.
The generous interior unfolds with a sense of infinite expanse.
The new building reinterprets the simple, unadorned nature of the traditional barn through the choice of materials.
Exposed concrete slabs for the floor and custom plaster covering the walls also ensure a raw, unfinished feel.
Two different materials with the same effect – concrete and stucco – are used throughout the interior to achieve an expressive effect.
The two-car freestanding garage is constructed of exposed concrete using the same wood formwork used for the house’s façade.
A photovoltaic system has been installed on the gently sloping concrete gable roof,
with solar panels covering the roof like a carpet.
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