Three terrace apartments

Merlischachen, Switzerland

Photo © Ruedi Walti

Collective Housing + Multiple Houses

Architects: Marques Architekten AG

Location: Merlischachen, Switzerland
Year: 2016
Time: 2013 - 2016
Architecture: Daniele Marques
Collaborator: Martin Walter, Dipl. Ing. Arch. FH

The property is situated on the cantonal road in Merlischachen and its southward orientation affords a marvellous view over Lake Lucerne. The project involves three rented apartments with green terrace areas in front of them. The building develops along the sloping topography and refers to the scale and alignment of the neighbouring homes. The apartments are also orientated towards the south and the view.

The apartments are designed as open, fluent interior spaces that develop from the entrance to the living and dining room, and on to the spacious dressing room in front of the parents’ room, all of which is orientated towards the green outdoor space, with its view of the lake and mountains. The building’s materialisation is characterised by a continuous façade design in white scraped rendering, as well as white stove-enamelled window details and balustrade railings. Warm materials dominate indoors, including oak parquet flooring and chestnut-veneer fitted cupboards and kitchen fronts. The wall and floor surfaces in the bathrooms are covered in large-scale travertine slabs. The building has four storeys. The ground floor accommodates an entrance with letterboxes, containers and bicycle stands, as well as eight parking spaces. The three four-room apartments with generous terraces are accessed directly from the garage via an internal elevator, or can be reached from external stairs in the garden.