[Buchner Bründler Architekten + Lilitt Bollinger Studio]
The building in Nuglar constructed in 1968 used to be part of a liquor distillery with wine and spirits store in Nuglar. The house served as a storage facility and shop, but primarily as a place to bring cherries. Located immediately next to the distillery dating back to the 1920s, the former storehouse has high rooms, which were however hardly connected to each other and the exterior.
It was originally composed of two halves separated by an almost continuous load-bearing wall and only connected via a goods lift. A filigree wooden ceiling was discovered in one half, while the other half consists of a huge garage with steel girders and concrete ceiling.
An apartment and an architecture studio are integrated in the structure. The delivery area and garage are retained as a workshop, with a new small construction placed on top of the garage. Along the windows facing the valley, the division of the building into two parts is abrogated in favour of a very long narrow room encompassing kitchen and living area. The existing windows with a sill height of 2.50 m are extended downwards to seating bench height. A long window casing made of steel is set outside these openings.
Inside walls are removed or fitted with openings. A large meandering space is created when these are open in summer. The hall of the former shop contains furniture units including bathroom and WC, cabinets and guest rooms, forming spatial niches and dividing the volume into a living area and a studio area. The studio is furnished with new green window fittings, forming a long and inviting seating bench on the outside.
Apart from a wooden ceiling, the storehouse is mainly composed of concrete. Concrete and wood were therefore selected as materials for the conversion. Layering and jointing of materials are displayed, surfaces are rough and haptic. Existing materials are not renovated, but left as they are with all their signs of wear. All wooden installations and doors were built together with a carpenter on site. Fine precision detailing is juxtaposed with the raw immediacy of the material. Text description by the architects.
Source: www.bbarc.ch
Photography by: Rory Gardiner
