The Roman Hutter Architektur-a collective firm of young creatives believes in staying rooted in traditional architecture and giving them an outlook that stands out. In a highly competitive market, the work of RHA is of astonishing maturity.
The generation of young architects involved in this firm focuses on fighting for a place and adopting the traditional ways to restore the integrity of the culture. They preserve nature with their skills and integrate culture to adapt it to modern living requirements. The cultural architecture of a location is visible in its designs.
RHA primarily focuses on private housing constructions and provides sustainable methods even in the smallest towns and the deepest valleys. They believe in the timeless quality of centuries-old timber constructions and develop eye-catching spaces with a specialty in traditional knitting wooden structures.
Some of the captivating structures by Roman Hutter Architektur are as follows:
1. Stallscheune Gluringen
The Stallscheune Gluringen is in Gluringen, an Upper Summer Village of modest size. This 1934 built structure, with the south part as a two-tier main barn. The side has two stable doors and three etched ports. The construction was in good condition, with the roof covered with corrugated iron and a block construction look.
The architects intended that without bothering the value of the stable barn, it could be a residence. A new residential space is added to the hayloft, while the existing floor acts as a cellar without unnecessarily disturbing the present region.
2. Weingut Meggen
The Weingut Meggen is a winery that stands on a striking slope named Siten that stretches till Meggen. The field represents the cultural landscape. The hillside location near the lake is suitable for fruit and wine growing, making the site selection appropriate.
The Roman Hutter Architects intended that a winery at present-day should have an independent processing unit for the harvest and modern operation facilities. It strengthens the cultural topology of the place and benefits the client with development potential for their prosperous business.
The settlement right now ensures the use of cultivated land, and the positioning of existing residential, production and other spaces define it as a hamlet type settlement.
3. Raiffeisenbank Unteriberg
The Raiffeisenbank Unteriberg’s façade and shape are an outcome of the building culture of this place. This new building well integrates into the village center. The gable façade forms a representation of the bank entrance and the apartments.
The materialization of the building is typical of this area, and a hybrid construction methodology is applied. The wooden shingles shimmer and beautifully decorate the facades above the basement. The concrete elements on the surface are sandblasted, making the grain visible and homogenous to the building culture.
The spacious base zone inside takes up the ventilation while the joints with larch cladding help with air exchange. This redesigned village center has a symbolic power that invites one to pause and wonder.
4. Heidenhaus Munster
The Heidenhaus Munster is a preservation housing project by Roman Hutter Architektur. The house in Munster is from 1448, and even after over 500 years, the craftsmanship displayed in this extraordinary place is still evident because of the material-appropriate construction methods.
The architect’s intent behind preservation and renovation was to supplement the qualities of the existing structure. The Heidenhaus originally had a tin roof now replaced by the traditional shingle roof, and the wood selection was from a region with similar climatic conditions for a longer lifespan.
The interior is made of spruce to achieve a contrast with the dark log walls. This house provides many generations of families shelter and safety.
5. Bauernhaus Kirchbühl
The Bauernhaus Kirchbühl is a residential building in Kirchbühl. The origins of this exemplary monument go back to earlier than the 18th century. Initially, it was built as a one-party house and then expanded over these years to form a double dwelling unit.
The Kirchbuhl farmhouse seems worth protecting from the typology and development point of view. With a look at the façade, it reveals a new spruce cladding, and the wooden framework conceals large windows illuminating the kitchen area.
The framing was refreshed by removing the old plaster, and joints were re-mortared by a lime mortar that will darken in the first few years. The north façade stays unique as it adorns the new spruce mesh. The wooden cladding through the interlocking technique marks a transition to the gable roof.
6. Alterszentrum Sursee
The Alterszentrum Sursee is a retirement center in Sursee that is of concrete elements, rests on a concrete base, and is further jewelled with finishing stones. The wall by the urban planning concept is a characteristic element of the project and is also an atmosphere carrier on many levels.
Perforations of the concrete create an interaction between outside and inside spaces. A crucial segment here is the concrete pergola that creates a spacious outdoor area with the framework filled with glass blocks, and with the wall elements, there is a subtle play of light and shadow.
There are retirement apartments on the upper floors led by the wood-metal windows at the arcade with inviting green plants contrasting to concrete.
7. Majorhaus Munster
The Majorhaus Munster is a contrast of larch wood and concrete. Roman Hutter Architektur believed in preserving this building from 1580 by supplementing some changes to the old structure.
The original texture of timber concealed within layers of paint is now visible to enhance the beauty of its traditional materials. It is directly cast into concrete for structural strength and is visible from the inside. The windows and doors made of larch wood create a contrast to the concrete surfaces.
The wall surfaces are bush-hammered to depict homogeneity in the concrete surface. The platform surface is strengthened by sandblasting to develop a visible grain that gives it the desired depth. There is an impressive view that extends from the ground to a five-storey height.
8. Wohnhaus Reckingen
The Wohnhaus Reckingen showcases centuries-old timber construction that still exists in this area and promotes traditional local craftsmanship. The Roman Hutter Architektur believes in designing according to the building tradition and blending the designs into an existing fabric.
The design is in different ways according to the usage of space. There is a usual chamber system, with the ground floor symmetrically divided into equal size rooms and circulation zones. Fossil energy usage in this building is almost zero that minimizes the ecological footprint of it.
9. Wohnhäuser Kriens
The Wohnhauser Kriens based in Kriens is a place that experienced urbanization between 1850 and 1970. Today the site holds three planned houses that are a replacement from two apartment buildings. The development located on the site is a protection zone.
The house had to be preserved and retained in its current environment. The intent is to value the quality of construction in addition to its integrity in the existing context. The conclusion is to develop a homogenous masonry, and the new buildings will also have plastered outer skin.
10. Marktplatz Entlebuch
The Marktplatz Entlebuch is a market square in a typically grown street village. Until the 19th century, the houses were only along the street. The Roman Hutter Architektur intends to continue building this village in the natural building tradition. The range of materials found in this region is diverse, yet materials plaster, wood, and occasional clinker can come in handy.
The plaster clinker can be used for the market houses as they represent grandeur due to massive size construction. The conglomerates interweave cautiously within, providing the market houses better focus, and a suitable material of construction for them is wood.
The motive behind this construction would be not to develop contrast but to make the new houses complement the still intact village.
11. Wohnhaus Munster
The Wohnhaus Munster is on the northeastern outskirts of Munster with Larch-wood block type construction and built-in furniture. The exposed concrete finish at the ground floor supports the two-story wooden building. The deep black kitchen contrasts with larch wood and the soothing green clay walls.
The western entrance area leads to a mezzanine platform, through which a short flight of stairs leads to a spacious dining room with an adjoining kitchen. The living area is more intimate and elevated.
The sequence of the rooms is evident on the façade as the rooms have different heights. The entanglement of the spaces in this way forms a unit both outside and inside.
12. Kronengasse Sempach
The Sempach town is noticeable by its two closed streets with open spaces on the rear side. The Kronengasse Sempach acts as a mediator of these two contrasting atmospheres. The urban situation, historical context, staggered building fabric, and importance of it as a connecting link are various factors that make this positioning special.
The Roman Hutter Architektur intended to plan a separate volume from the existing building while maintaining the grown urban structure. The external space spanned between the two volumes promotes inner green spaces. The new building appears slim and ascending, which results in an unequal pair with many similarities discovered.
In the new building, massive ceilings and wall panels form a spacious look. Wooden construction is inscribed into the roof space of the old building but detached from the new one.
13. Haus im Garten Munster
Munster impresses with its still more or less intact townscape. The building acted as a garden house and took on several functions. The client needed the missing bedrooms and a bathroom, leading to the expansion of the stock. The semi-private rooms remained on the ground while the private rooms occupied the attic.
The former terrace is attached to the living room. Building on the existing structure, the extension is of wood too. The more durable larch wood protects the building from the outside while the light spruce wood illuminates the rooms inside. Similar to the existing building, the attic is a hall-like space.
14. Schmiede Ermensee
The Schmiede Ermensee is an elongated building on a brick basement with a two-story stand frame. The flecking fillings under a slightly bent gable roof with a hip. The northeastern gable façade is fascinating, with a visible framework in the gable field and regular windows on the eaves.
The canopy is attached to the eaves in the southeast, which covers the outside area. Instead of upgrading the pent roof extension on the streamside, the farmhouse gets a new look. The concrete base is feasted white and approaches the lightly plastered bottom of the existing building.
The main façade consists of a cover strip form made up of spruce. The large opening in the attic is behind a wooden mesh that acts as sun protection.
15. Berglodge Goms Munster
The Berglodge Goms is a Spruce and Larchwood block construction with concrete as the base. There are six self-contained room chambers arranged around a central staircase, and an Arbor layer is in front of the building on the eaves side. The intent is to create a hostel for active people who like to exercise in nature. The top floor offers space for yoga lessons or seminars.
The accommodation at Berglodge is in an unspoiled environment, and the aim is to create a cautious intervention and a new addition to the village structure. The building is in the traditional block construction that signifies the building culture of the place.
48_Visualisation of Berglodge Goms Munster_@www.romanhutter.ch
