Set amid the sloping foothills of the Alps in Eastern Switzerland and seamed by deep valleys, the village of Urnäsch is located at ca. 800 meters above sea level on the bank of the identically named river, meandering through the slightly wider bottom of the valley. The vacation village stretches just east of the Appenzellerbahn station on a slightly sloping site. 50 units for families with children are housed in three angular wings abutting in a comb-shaped pattern to the central unit consisting of four structures featuring communal services.
The Kantonstraße extends south past the development. Here, the four communal buildings that are in line with the terrain shield the accommodations and courtyards behind them from noise and dust. The playgrounds and swimming spot by the Urnäsch river can be reached safely via a passage. The vacation village can be accessed on the east side, where the parking lot and a park deck below the first accommodation unit can be found. The row of communal buildings features the main entrance and the reception desk at-grate level on the east side. Adjacent to the structure is the youth room, a multifunctional space with a communal kitchen designed for various events. The next building sports a kindergarten, a cafeteria, a library and a TV room; the dressing rooms for the swimming pool, located in the third building, are on the lower level. The fourth edifice provides stables for five types of small animals. The concept of the vacation village envisions exposure to the animals and the opportunity to take care of them. The internal main axis of the development runs via ramps behind the communal buildings. The access paths to the vacation homes branch off from here orthogonally. Here, one, two, three and four bedroom apartments are arranged in angular two-storey structures, forming two largely closed and one semi-open courtyard. One staircase connects the apartments, two on each floor, located on the ground and the upper levels. The floor plans are optimized in terms of area, but their structure corresponds to regular family type apartments that showcase ample sun decks on the west and south side of the building. A wooden structure with excellent fire control properties made from reinforced concrete perches above the basement and the building foundation. The flat roofs feature lush roof gardens, adapting the development, which is mostly visible at an angle from above, to its environs.
Text: Walter Zschokke, Wien
Translation: Adrea Lyman, Wien
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