2011
Biblioteca Chasa Plaz - Ardez - Switzerland
The Biblioteca Chasa Plaz is design by the architect Men Duri Arquint in the swiss Grisons.
The Engadiner house used to be separated into two functions: housing and hayloft. While the housing part is still in use, the hayloft is all empty. According to the desire of the client, a library and reading room should be added to his home.
Instead of demolishing the old hayloft or building a new volume close to the house, the architect adds a new volume in the hayloft.
The project integrates two connected boxes into the existing structure. The old roof truss is been reinforced to hold the extra load. No vertical support is needed.
The spatial enhancement is constructed in a post-and-plank format.
The interior paneling and the 48m long bookshelf are made of mountain spruce.
As a result of the sensitive handling with the consisting building, the addition on the one hand has no bearing on the old structure and on the other hand generates new housing quality.
[project selected by Valentin Karl Viktor Goetze]