TIP: fuenf haeuser

‘fuenf haeuser’ by TIP in rapperswil, switzerland all images courtesy TIP image © walter mair

zurich-based studio TIP (lukas lenherr) has shared with us images of ‘fuenf haeuser’, a multi-storey apartment building in rapperswil, switzerland. exploring a way of combining local helvetic typologies into one structure to cater to a variety of client types, the project vertically stacks together four different housing models while preserving its limited footprint on the plot.

street view image © tonatiuh ambrosetti

exterior view image © tonatiuh ambrosetti

breaking away from the neighbourhood’s loosely-dense urban fabric, the project seeks to go beyond the limitation of typological boundaries in its build. starting from the ground level, the first-storey apartment is conceived as a ‘garden villa’ which utilizes exterior walls that grow out of the green to define the interior. a more intimate relationship is achieved with the outdoors while a singular white interior helps absorb the surrounding inwards.

facade detail of ‘garden pavilion’ image © tonatiuh ambrosetti

interior view of ‘garden pavilion’ image © tonatiuh ambrosetti

one floor up, the ‘high-rise apartment’ storey features a series of balconies that jut over the edge that frames views while providing a level of privacy from the street. finished in concrete surfaces, each facade and corresponding outdoor space serves a specific function, further connecting the inhabitants with the outside.

interior view of ‘high-rise apartment’ level image © tonatiuh ambrosetti

framed view image © lukas lenherr

living space by balcony image © walter mair

the third storey references the ‘classic single house’, manifesting itself as two rectangular layouts that are shifted and overlaid on one another. wrapped in a shingle facade, the apartment draws from the often colourful and decorated exterior of the traditional housing type. a loggia space is generated with a one-sided cantilever, allowing the kitchen space to open up to the outdoors with sliding glass doors. the typical flower windows of the 50s frame the view.

outdoor space of ‘classic single house’ image © walter mair

looking in image © walter mair

kitchen image © walter mair

the fourth and final apartment – the ‘pavilion’ – utilizes glass and aluminum as well as its vantage point to open up towards the swiss mountains. on the roof level, a monolithic ‘holiday cottage’ which references the automobile campers houses a sauna which serves all four families living in the building.

interior view of ‘pavilion’ image © walter mair

roof level and ‘holiday cottage’ image © walter mair

within context

helvetic neighbour housing types

schematic collage

floor plan / level 0 / ‘the garden villa’

floor plan / level +1 / ‘the highrise apartment’

floor plan / level +2 / ‘the classical single house’

roof plan / ‘the holiday cottage’

section

south elevation