Protective Housing for Roman Excavations
Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland · 1986
Photo · Photo by Helene Binet
A precedent for a semi-permeable protective envelope using horizontal timber lamellae to control light and ventilation over sensitive archaeological ruins.
- What we like about this project
- The minimal, deeply recessed entry portals that break the continuous louvered texture with solid, dark frames.
Materials
- timber-lamellae
- steel-framing
- concrete-plinth
- glass
Visual identifiers
- timber-slat-facade
- glowing-envelope
- protective-housing
- modular-wooden-screens
Style tags
- minimalist
- regionalist
- tectonic
- swiss
Visual tags
- semi-permeable
- archaeological-shelter
- night-shot
- timber-architecture
- swiss-minimalism
- Geometry
- A rectilinear orthogonal volume composed of two main blocks connected by a recessed link. The facade is divided into a modular grid of vertical bays filled with horizontal timber slats.
- Facade system
- Timber louver screen system integrated into a structural frame.
- Structural guess
- Lightweight timber or steel frame resting on a concrete foundation wall.
- Spatial scale
- A modest two-story scale that respects the surrounding residential and historic fabric of the town.
- Lighting
- Night photography with internal artificial light glowing through the horizontal timber slats, contrasting with a dark, dramatic sky.
- Atmosphere
- Mysterious and serene, with the building acting as a delicate wooden lantern against a dark alpine backdrop.
- Environmental context
- Sited on an urban street corner in a mountainous valley, with a steep, dark hillside rising directly behind the structure.
- Spatial experience
- The building acts as a protective, semi-permeable envelope. From the street, it reads as a glowing, delicate lantern at night, hinting at the archaeological treasures preserved within without exposing them directly to the elements.
- Composition rhythm
- A rigorous vertical grid of steel or timber posts framing closely spaced horizontal wooden louvers.
- Style reading
- Swiss Minimalist Functionalism
- Program
- Museum and archaeological protective shelter
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- timber-lamellae, steel-framing, concrete-plinth, glass
- Visual identifiers
- timber-slat-facade, glowing-envelope, protective-housing, modular-wooden-screens
- Style tags
- minimalist, regionalist, tectonic, swiss
- Visual tags
- semi-permeable, archaeological-shelter, night-shot, timber-architecture, swiss-minimalism
- Geometry
- A rectilinear orthogonal volume composed of two main blocks connected by a recessed link. The facade is divided into a modular grid of vertical bays filled with horizontal timber slats.
- Facade system
- Timber louver screen system integrated into a structural frame.
- Structural guess
- Lightweight timber or steel frame resting on a concrete foundation wall.
- Spatial scale
- A modest two-story scale that respects the surrounding residential and historic fabric of the town.
- Lighting
- Night photography with internal artificial light glowing through the horizontal timber slats, contrasting with a dark, dramatic sky.
- Atmosphere
- Mysterious and serene, with the building acting as a delicate wooden lantern against a dark alpine backdrop.
- Environmental context
- Sited on an urban street corner in a mountainous valley, with a steep, dark hillside rising directly behind the structure.
- Spatial experience
- The building acts as a protective, semi-permeable envelope. From the street, it reads as a glowing, delicate lantern at night, hinting at the archaeological treasures preserved within without exposing them directly to the elements.
- Composition rhythm
- A rigorous vertical grid of steel or timber posts framing closely spaced horizontal wooden louvers.
- Style reading
- Swiss Minimalist Functionalism
- Program
- Museum and archaeological protective shelter
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture