Complex Fluh
A silvery-glazed, filigree wainscot defines the facades of nine multi-family residences in Rapperswil-Jona. Sliding shutters made from the same material provide shade for the terraces and windows.
The Kempraten district is dominated by a prominent range of hills from Nagelfluh. The Fluh complex, designed by Burkhalter Sumi architects of Zurich, is built on the hillside. On the one hand, the building owner wanted a dense development with 42 residential units; on the other hand, he wanted to take all due consideration of the landscape. The architects built upwards and distributed the apartments over nine four-story point block houses to retain as much green area as possible. The height of the buildings is cleverly disguised by the materials and colors used by the architects: the ground floors are made of brown concrete and the top stories have a wainscot in the same color tone. The two stories in between are clad in filigree, silver-glazed spruce slats. The coloring makes them stand out from the darker stories and defines the visual appearance of the complex.
The apartments are less open to the north. This is where the bedrooms and bathrooms are situated. In contrast, room-high windows and terraces offer unobstructed views of the lake and mountains to the south and west. Sliding shutters provide privacy and protection from the sun. They are also made of silver wood slats attached to aluminum frames and equipped with HAWA Frontslide 60 A to maintain a uniform appearance. The smaller windows have sliding shutters of the same design but equipped with an automated version of the hardware.
ETH BSA SIA SWB
Münstergasse 18a
8001 Zurich, Switzerland
Alte Bahnhofstrasse 24
5612 Villmergen, Switzerland
Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland