Areal Brun housing development | Ascona
Areal Brun housing development | AsconaContracted study, 1st Prize | 2006
Architecture: Daniele Marques & Rainer Schlumpf
Collaborator: Verena Hellweg, Dipl. Ing. FH
The property is situated above the village centre of Ascona, on a southern slope, with a wonderful view over Ascona and Lake Maggiore towards the southwest. The existing facility has a somewhat overgrown, but picturesque garden with dry masonry and natural stone steps. The project envisages three clear volumes. Their placement at the location is characterised by the terrain’s development and by the orientation and staggered apartment loggias, as well as the apartment fronts towards the southwest and the lake. The buildings’ placement at different levels ensures unobstructed views of the lake and a panorama for all apartments. The planned buildings, their access and the design of the garden take the qualities of the existing grounds into account. Parts of the garden are preserved, while new elements in a similar style are added. The buildings’ design continues the themes of the garden. Stele-like natural-stone shear walls support the concrete ceilings and balcony bases. The apertures are large-scale glazed areas inserted between the shear walls. The form, placement and scale of the buildings enter into a dialogue with the character of the neighbourhood on the slope above the village centre of Ascona.