HELTER SHELTER

  PREMISES 

  We started our project by doing a research about the site, the environmental factors and atmosphere and by choosing and by creating the recipients profile. The site, an open field situated at the base of the Bürgenstock Mountain, by the Ennetbürgen Municipality in Switzerland, surrounded by forests an overlooking the Lucerne Lake. Gathering information about this place we found out that the area is actually a protected national park and the trees in the forest cannot be cut for several decades and this was one of our first starting points of the project, that we want to keep the nature on the site intact, hence the tree in the middle. Then we’ve read about the history of Lake Lucerne, because is one of the most important elements of the site, and discovered that the sights of this lake inspired Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, the composer being impressed by the reflection of the moon left on the water. Starting from this idea, we wanted to create a visual bond between the house and the landscape. We also tried to create a more particular character of the client, not just a normal musician, so we chose a guitarist who is part of a rock band, also making a documentation about music studios. 

CONCEPT 

  From the previous premises, we started building our concept. Because of the proximity to the mountain, we decided to transform the house of the guitarist into a mountain shelter, being in the same time isolated but still connected to the nature, this idea being translated into creation of two different volumes, a base structural one, more introverted like a fortress holding another transparent volume which offers sights of the landscape. Because of the presence of the lake and forest, the resulting volume was duplicated into another smaller version so that both of them could covering a 360 degrees sight of the surroundings. We also tried to integrate the tree in the middle of the site into the composition by making it a central point and building the house around it, so that the tree becomes also a character into the script and a screen for privacy between the two volumes. To do this we connected the wings with a bridge which works as a crossing between them and also as a functional interior space. 

CONTENTS 

  After the concretization of the concept, we started detailing the contents of the house. The studio is one of the central elements and we decided to place it in the main volume at the ground floor, in the “fortress”, because this kind of functions don’t need a lot of natural light and we wanted to differentiate it from the normal rooms of a house. In the transparent part we placed the rooms of the home, cumulating them in the center as a nucleus, creating an open-space plan, to leave the glade façade as free as possible. 

DESIGN  

  We chose a modernist inspiration for the look of the house, with straight lines and definite volumes, the simplicity of the project integrating it in the landscape without making a disturbing insertion. Because of the clear facades, from the distance, it can be easily camouflaged into the environment, but still making its presence felt. The material used for exterior are stone plating and a bronze colored metal structure, the interiors being also integrated into the view by using natural light warm colors and textures, the wood being predominant. 

THE EXPERIENCE 

    The design process started with the general analysis of the area, continuing with the more detailed study of the site. This research has outlined the concept stated above. The project gained more shape after analyzing the central space of the theme, the guitarist's studio. The only small obstacle that came our way was the integration of this type of chamber in the residential space, and then the connection between the house and the surrounding nature. We tried to combine these functions to provide a more welcoming and relaxing environment for the musician, by creating rooms that are useful both for leisure and for carrying out musical activities, such as composing music or holding home concerts for a few guests.