Berrel Kräutler Architekten Berrel Kräutler Architekten

Retirement Residence Kreuzlingen

0243

Retirement Residence Kreuzlingen

Retirement Residence Kreuzlingen

The elderly resi­dence and nurs­ing home, built by Antoniol & Huber in the 1970s, lies at the heart of Kreuzlingen, and capti­vates primarily by virtue of its strik­ing exposed concrete grid. The wing, how­ever, with its units for the elderly, no longer corres­ponds to current require­ments, and is to be replaced by a new building.

Situation in the centre of Kreuzlingen
Situation in the centre of Kreuzlingen

The envi­si­oned exten­sion build­ing takes up the struc­ture and design of the exist­ing one and enga­ges in a dia­logue with it. Its place­ment along the edges of the par­cel and its angled form create a large, well-pro­por­tioned court­yard within.

The courtyard becomes a green haven of tranquility
The courtyard becomes a green haven of tranquility
Section through the existing old people’s home (left) and one wing of the extension (right), between them the new inner courtyard
Section through the existing old people’s home (left) and one wing of the extension (right), between them the new inner courtyard
Ground floor plan — the existing old people's home is on the right in the plan
Ground floor plan — the existing old people's home is on the right in the plan

An impor­tant aspect of the project is the exploi­ta­tion of the contras­ting quali­ties offered by the inner and outer sides of the build­ing. The exteriors are oriented entirely toward the surround­ings, allow­ing resi­dents on this bright and noisy side to share in life in Kreuzlingen. The inner court­yard, mean­while, offers oppor­tuni­ties for retreat.

The common hallway overlooks the courtyard
The common hallway overlooks the courtyard
Upper floor plan with flats
Upper floor plan with flats

The two build­ings are linked together on all levels, ensur­ing optimal utiliza­tion of syner­gies between the nurs­ing home and the retire­ment resi­dence.

Access to apart­ments is via a spa­cious zone of encoun­ter that lies along the court­yard side. Its glazed, openable facade makes it available year-round as a com­mon room, and it consti­tutes the heart of each level and of the build­ing as a whole. Resi­dents are to have the option of extend­ing their apart­ments into this space, thereby culti­vating a sense of community. Like the clois­ter of a monas­tery, this space will also be enhanced by an interior garden and will facili­tate visual contact between the old and new wings of the build­ing.

From their balconies, the residents can participate in the street life
From their balconies, the residents can participate in the street life
View of new and existing building
View of new and existing building

The load­bearing concrete supports in the facade are sup­ple­men­ted by prefab­ricated concrete ele­ments of the rail­ings, so that the facade is entirely in exposed con­crete, and hence merges con­vinc­ingly with the prede­ces­sor build­ing.

Generous openings to the balconies provide the rooms with plenty of light and air
Generous openings to the balconies provide the rooms with plenty of light and air
Natural surfaces bring life into the apartments
Natural surfaces bring life into the apartments
Floor plan of two flats with furnishing possibilities
Floor plan of two flats with furnishing possibilities

In the apart­ments, the living and bed­rooms are orien­ted toward the out­side, toward the town, in order to encour­age contact between users and their environs. A narrow, continu­ous bal­cony fosters the active obser­va­tion of street life, and func­tions as an exten­sion of the resi­den­tial units.

The living rooms receive daylight from two sides
The living rooms receive daylight from two sides

0243 Replacement of units for the elderly, Retirement Residence Kreuzlingen

Reference numbers
Competition: 2017
Floor area: 9’000 m2
Building volume: 27’000 m3

Project participants
Client: Genossenschaft Alterszentrum Kreuzlingen 
Building management: Baukom AG, St. Gallen
Landscape architect: ORT AG für Landschaftsarchitektur
Construction engineer: Ulaga Weiss AG
Building technology: Richard Widmer Haustechnik GmbH
Fire safety: Braun Brandsicherheit AG
Visualisations: maaars

Team BBK
Project: Johannes Maier, Jaime Rodriguez, Ulrike Köpke
Competition: Jaime Rodriguez, João Bragança

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