Hoffmat nursing home
Arth, Switzerland
The new Hofmatt nursing home is an opportunity to modernize and expand the existing facilities and, at the same time, energize the life and culture of the citizens of Arth.
The building is located in the northern half of the site, leaving free ground for future expansion. The first thing we find is that the building plus the future extension occupy a large part of the site, therefore, we need to align the building to the limits in order to free up the maximum empty space in the central strip of the site. We want to create a central plaza well related to the population, in order to achieve a cultural and service exchange between the young and the elder generation. It is in this area where we locate the access to the residence and the most public parts of the program: cafeteria, multipurpose space, dining room, physiotherapy and hairdressing.
The building on the ground floor extends from north to south as an organism that is looking for the best relationships between the pieces of the program, the environment and the good orientations. The upper floors have a geometry that opens up towards the south, with the bedrooms oriented mainly towards east and west. The extension follows similar characteristics, establishing a dialogue with its predecessor; an L-shaped volume open to the west, recognizing the public space and the pedestrian connection to the Hofmatt and the center of the town.
The outer skin is made of treated wood slats, which become more permeable (in the form of a lattice) in front of the openings, formalizing the sliding railings and shutters, which dispose of centralized but also individual motorization in the rooms. There is a second type of large openings that are configured as carved holes in the volume. They are spaces covered with glass planes, removed according to the orientation, to provide shade in the summer and sun in the winter.
| Location | Arth, Switzerland |
| Year | competition 2010 |
| Surface | 7.196 m² |
| Budget | 16.000.000 CHF |
| Promoter | Stiftung Plegezentren Gemeinde Arth |
| Team | Co-author Daniel Tigges architect. Noèlia Asensi, Núria Orriols, Eric Herrera architecture. Ferran Valls rendering. |
Can Jeroni Cultural Centre
St Josep de Sa Talaia, Ibiza
We face the project from the entire refurbishment of Can Jeroni, both in its interior and exterior spaces. The project includes an interior emptying maintaining the envelope, the structure and renovating the facilities.
On a conceptual level, the action aims to achieve the image of a white box on two levels, where the main space is intended for the cultural use at both floors, communicated internally by an inner staircase that eventually gives rise to a double space, allowing a visual connection between both levels.
The smaller space is used for services, facilities and storage, and an exhibition ramp on the ground floor. From this ramp we connect with the access staircase from the ground floor and with a newly created access from Doctor’s Street, so that the building becomes completely accessible.
The conservation of Can Jeroni as a cultural space implies the identification and recovery of a visual reference for anyone who arrives at the urban center of San José from the west.
The facade gaps are ordered and unified, maintaining the image of the courtyard facade and the identifying volume of the building’s roof. The outer space is freed from architectural barriers, favoring a neutral space that allows the expansion of the limited outer space when necessary.
| Location | St Josep de Sa Talaia, Ibiza |
| Year | 2008 |
| Completion date | 2009 |
| Surface | 151 m² |
| Budget | 313.337 € |
| Promoter | Ajuntament de Sant Josep de Sa Talaia |
| Constructor | Aglomerados Ibiza S.A. |
| Team | Alicia Torres, architecture. Vicent Serra, quantity surveyour & site security control. Lourdes Grivé, photography. |
| Publications | Finalist at Ibiza and Formentera prizes 2008–2011. Divisare. |