LOCALARCHITECTURE: hangar agricole, switzerland

true to their namesake, lausanne-based LOCALARCHITECTURE has continued to practice an architecture in service of the vernacular. acting as an extension of the main farmhouse, this large-scale countryside shed relies on the aesthetics of self-built architectural typologies to create volumes of space. the building is sited primarily to avoid excavations and embankments, but additionally weaves into the topography of the surrounding orchard. ‘cerisier’, as the property is called, is a vast agricultural domain surrounded by the jura mountains and overseen by the famous chasseral pass, lending the idyllic northeastern swiss landscape to frame the architecture.

all images © matthieu gafsou / courtesy of LOCALARCHITECTURE

the simple frame speaks to the unique concept in farm life that shared work begets shared gain. the structure elaborates on this idea by asserting that shared space, in this context, is productive space. a combination of locally harvested logs and CNC milled fir were fashioned into pairs of large-spans ribs that allowed for both architectural precision and the changing needs of the farmer. the ‘hangar’ is formally defined by both its edges and materials, two ideas that serve to emphasize the context of the bucolic swiss landscape as well as a variable program that demanded space for a tractor, agricultural machinery, repair shop, timber storage and a doghouse. the simplicity of the form belies the complexity of the design problem; the existing rustic building had an opportunity to integrate itself more readily into the the landscape, but the pragmatism of the program called for an architecture that spoke of materials and sensitivity to agricultural history. the result is a form made rich by its gesture — a sloping profile that visually clings to the cornice of the existing farmhouse and gently lowers the orchard and the surrounding field.

the shed is an extension of the lines and space of the farmhouse