RETIREMENT CENTER ADLERGARTEN

The proposal departs from a series of premises outlined in the competition brief and from observations during a site visit.

The directive called for a compact building footprint in order to expand the park condition and improve its connection to Tösstalstrasse and Adlerstrasse. However, there were parameters given about the program to be allocated in the ground floor, combined with the requirements of preservations of the basements, which represented a significant challenge.

The second driving factor is the role on nature, both on the site and on the well-being of the elderly. From a therapeutic and well-being standpoint, the sensorial dimension of nature is proved to have a very positive impact on the health of the elderly. The scents, colors, birds and other wild life, as well as the possibility of working on the garden, could have a very positive benefits in the healthy life of the residents.

The vegetation in the park is also an important asset. Some of the trees have lived for centuries and they represent a rich legacy of the site and it is important to preserve them for future generations.

All these principles inform the urban strategy of the proposal, which preserves the natural assets of the site and provides settings in which nature is a constant protagonist.

The new building is placed primarily on the edge of Adlerstrasse as defining a boundary of the park. It preserves the majority of the trees, particularly the large Falgus Sylvatica “Pendula’ on the north side of the site.

A low volume articulates the connection between the new building and the existing residence, following the alignment of the basement of the Büroanbau wing which is completely preserved. The outline of the low volume and a formal fence around the west and north sides of the site, begin to encapsulate a portion of the park and creates a form of walled-in garden mostly accessible to the residents and users of the building.

The main volume of the new building is placed in such a way that it participates from all the main areas of the park and its surrounding.

The connection to its setting is also brought into the upper levels of the building. The rooms are organized around a winter garden which is timidly connected with the park through an outdoor stair. The garden offers a nice temperate setting for nice conversations or therapeutic work on the plants.

The roof of the low volume also becomes a private garden, sheltered from the street by a tall wall that provides scale to the entrance of the building and reflects the southern light into the rooftop garden.

On its southern side, a playful arrangement of large terraces offers spectacular views of the park, its historic structures and the general context. The terraces are well sheltered from the summer sun.

(Competition 2022)