Stiftung Roth-Haus

Stiftung Roth-Haus | Muri, Switzerland | 2021
[Camponovo Baumgartner]

The Roth-Haus in Muri, in the canton of Aargau, stands on the site of the former abbey, southeast of the old monastery wall. Today, the original square complex is no longer legible in its entirety, but the remains of the monastery wall are still partially recognizable. Bearing this in mind, we called the renovation and expansion of the residential home “intra muros”. Because “intra muros” describes our central idea in this project: to strengthen the enclosure. In this way, the inside and outside of the historical complex regain their importance.

In the mid-nineties, the house was basically rebuilt as it did not meet the spatial requirements of a home for the disabled. It was stripped back to the façade and the roof truss. Finally, almost 30 years later, it was time for the next major renovation in the form of an extension. Finding a solution that engages both historical setting and contemporary demands, we had to rebuild and expand the residential and occupational home for adults with disabilities. The four-storey, monolithic extension grows out of the original building. The elongated extension strengthens the enclosure by standing on the old monastery wall. With its narrow volume, the extension creates space for the green area next to it.

The existing building could be dismantled without any major interventions except for the supporting structure that dates from the 1990s. The four-point support system gave us freedom. We were able to continue the sweeping shape of the new addition in the old building.

The minimal extension creates maximum space inside. This is reflected in the connection between the new and the old build: the extension tapers off towards the historical RothHaus. Inside, our idea of continuum continues. A long, curved wall makes for smooth movement, especially with wheelchairs. The subtle language also shows up in the materialization, characterized by haptics and natural materials. You want to touch curved walls rendered with lime plaster, for example, or lie down on the crosswise- laid parquet floor. Text description by the architects.