Plywood House

In a southern suburb of Basel, a ‘40s villa was to be expanded with an addition. However, the park would be preserved as far as possible and the roots of a large paulownia tree that unfolds a canopy of leaves behind the house were to be protected. This excluded the possibility of digging new foundations. Herzog & de Meuron decided on a barrack-like wooden addition which fits well into the park situation with its lightness and takes up the kindergarten, bath house and barrack buildings in the region (some in the tradition of Neues Bauen, e.g., by Hans Bernouilli). En un suburbio del sur de Basilea, se iba a ampliar una villa de los años 40 con una extensión. Sin embargo, el parque debía preservarse en la medida de lo posible y se tenían que proteger las raíces de un gran árbol de paulownia que despliega un dosel de hojas detrás de la casa. Esto excluía la posibilidad de excavar nuevos cimientos. Herzog & de Meuron decidieron crear una extensión de madera similar a un cuartel que se adapta bien a la situación del jardín por su ligereza y ocupa los edificios de jardín del infancia, baños y barracones de la región (algunos en la tradición de Neues Bauen, por ejemplo, por Hans Bernouilli). Two longitudinal strips running parallel to the street front were anchored terrain while protectively raising the wood construction from the ground. Double wood beams were mounted on them; they carry two Hetzer beams. Wooden frames are suspended from them; the walls are mounted thereon, and the flat gable roof (a wood and copper sheet construction) sits on top of them like a hat. The floor was laid out on the outside like the fingers on a hand that carries the building and seems able to move it at any time. Both elements lend a floating lightness to the construction, as though the pavilion was a large lantern, swinging beneath the large tree and lighting the garden at night.