House in the fog

“Enigmatic” is one of the first words that come to mind when looking at the residential building in Balsthal, Switzerland. It was designed by the young Swiss architect Pascal Flammer.

It stands black in the fog. The lighting inside falls through large glass surfaces and allows the warm tones of the wooden construction to shine outwards. Nevertheless, the house has nothing homely about it. The shape of the roof evokes memories of a local building tradition, which you will look in vain for in the other architectural elements. The architectural feature of the first floor, which is lowered by 75 cm, also suggests a connection to the earth that the house as a whole does not want to redeem. In a strange way, it is part of its surroundings – and at the same time remains a foreign body.

The house has three storeys, each of which reacts differently to its surroundings. When you enter, you are greeted by nature at eye level on the first floor. The all-round glazing and the lowered floor convey the feeling of standing in the middle of a meadow. The upper floor, on the other hand, varies in its openness and offers occasional views through circular windows or large-scale glazing at the front of the building. In contrast to the other floors, it is structured by cross-shaped interior walls, to which a spiral staircase is added as an appendage. The formally strict composition and the sliding doors in the partition walls on the façade side lead to a reduction in the circulation area while at the same time creating an open floor plan.

The timber construction is demonstratively displayed in the glazed areas. A black-painted, horizontal formwork serves as a weather shell. The structure and cladding are made of the same fir wood. The low-pitched saddle roof is covered with conventional tiles.

It is probably the artificial appearance of the house that gives the viewer pause. The architect cites Gerhardt Richter, Sigmar Polke, Kazuo Shinohara, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Buddha and Walter de Maria as influences, all references that make it clear that this is not primarily about context. Another major influence is likely to have been Valerio Olgiati, who designs similarly enigmatic architecture and in whose office Pascal Flammer worked until 2005. Despite the close relationship, the building has an independent strength that makes us curious about future projects.

Photos: Iona Marinescu