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.