plan and cross-section
© Architecture Club
Catherine: In terms of materials, you proposed a play between concrete and wood, which is a big contrast. How did the owners view this? Did other proposals also assume such a combination of materials?
Paul: In this case, we are treating the wood as a sacrum that we found there, and we are trying to protect the cottage. The foundation and the volume are one reinforced concrete object. This also allowed us to achieve a large span inside, and we will be able to hang heavy artwork on the concrete walls. Also important to us was the stability of the internal climate, which is provided by the massive walls. The new part is supposed to be like a rock that reinforces the old house. This appealed to the investors very much.
Karolina: The use of reinforced concrete for this concept was justified structurally, but this juxtaposition visually also appeals to us very much. The old ornate facade remains inside in contrast to the raw, monolithic material. If the extension of this house were to be built in wooden construction, it would have to be a completely different concept.
Paul: Besides, a wooden structure with such a span would require a roof truss that would obscure the existing facade.
Catherine: And how does the project fit into the context of the town?
Karolina: The house is located on a hill overlooking a town in the valley, all around are individual buildings in different styles, some traditional, a lot contemporary, sloping roofs dominate. Our extension looks innocent at first glance, its form, after all, refers to a traditional house. Its materiality and construction, however, speak a contemporary language.
A working model showing the idea of counterbalance
© Architecture Club
Catherine: Let's now move to a more general level. How do you view wood construction in general? What is the attitude toward wood in Switzerland?
Paul: There is a lot of pressure these days, not to use the word "propaganda," to build with wood. We try not to give in to trends and fads. Karolina recently had a lecture at the Museum of Architecture in Basel. Using the example of Atelier Monika Sosnowska, she presented what sustainability means to us. Taking into account not only the materiality of the building (which, in the case of the Atelier, is a combination of concrete frame and huge glazing), but also the way it was built, the organization of construction, the use of environmentally friendly systems such as geothermal heating and cooling, we finally managed to achieve a building that we can call sustainable.
Karolina: Undoubtedly, in this time of climate crisis, we need to build in an environmentally friendly way, and wood is seen as one of the most eco-friendly materials. It even happens that its use is imposed in a competition.
Paul: For us, how the material is used is insanely important. We are huge fans of real wood construction, where the wood is joined with jambs or wooden pegs. Wood with wood. We are skeptical of modern solutions that use glued boards and framed systems with insulation. The durability, interior climate stability and often aesthetics of these solutions leave much to be desired. If we consider a concrete building that will last a hundred years or more and nothing will happen to it, and a wooden building that needs renovation after thirty years, wood does not fare so well at all, despite a good start with negativeCO2. The use of wood must be justified. We like wooden buildings that are really wooden - durable and aesthetically pleasing, breathing and smelling of wood.
Karolina: The kind where you can see the wood outside and inside. We have excellent role models. We are fans of wooden sacred architecture in Malopolska and Podkarpacie, which developed as early as the 15th century and has partially survived to this day. Of contemporary developments, we admire the Zumthor houses in Leis. This type of architecture can last for several generations. But it is not a cheap technology, moreover, it requires excellent craftsmanship, which is difficult to find today.
Paul: These are the walls: thirteen centimeters of wood, insulation and another thirteen centimeters of wood. The inner and outer layers are for jambs. Both the interior and exterior are built from one local material. Its selection in terms of ecology must be smart, taking into account the location and the needs of the project.
mock-up - a new "wall for art," supporting the undercut facade, carves out a new library in the existing part of the house
© Architecture Club
Catherine: How do the clients approach the issue? Are there people who come with a vision of a wooden building, because there is a lot of talk about wood now? Or not necessarily?
Karolina: It goes both ways. There is more and more talk about sustainability, looking for new solutions and materials, or returning to traditional ones, often forgotten. Investors themselves are also more aware. Unfortunately, often under the banner of environmentally friendly wood construction is the idea of building in a timber frame structure, filled with insulation board, finished freely from the inside and outside. The idea of hasty building irritates us a bit, we sense that underneath it is a compromise to the quality and durability of architecture.
Paul: Sometimes it is fast and cheap construction. We ask ourselves: how durable?
Karolina: In some cases such technology is perhaps justified. But I think it should not be an imposed trend on modern architecture, because it simply will not stand the test of time. Twenty years from now we will have a big problem of what to do with such proliferating realizations.
Catherine: Quick and cheap, and another argument is ecology, that these buildings are better for the environment than those made of other materials. Do you agree with that?
Karolina: Yes and no. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that global demand for wood will triple by 2050. All indications are that we will soon run out of trees. Already, poorly managed forests with uncontrolled logging are contributing to deforestation, which is having a devastating impact on our planet's climate.
Paul: The parameters of the material itself are also important. We start with minusculeCO2, and after twenty years we have to replace some of the elements, such as facades. Buildings using this technology also have a greater tendency to overheat in the summer.
Karolina: All components are important: the sourcing of this material, transportation, construction method, workmanship, as well as the efficiency of the building's use. You have to look globally, take into account the range of materials. We just finished a job for a competition, where we used rammed earth - this is an extremely ecological material, which is worth returning to if justified. Wood is certainly not and cannot be the answer to everything.
\
mockup - view of the panoramic window in the new part of the house
© Architecture Club
Catherine: What is the attitude towards this pressure on wood of architects in Switzerland? Do they also approach it with detachment or perhaps with euphoria?
Karolina: Some people are following the trend, others are trying to find a broader perspective. There has certainly been an increased awareness among designers and the burden of environmental responsibility on us architects as well. Nowadays sustainability is one of the most important aspects, with competition always one of the criteria. And that makes us happy.
Paul: Basel wants to reduce carbon emissions by 2050. Given that Switzerland has a lot of forests, wood construction will be heavily promoted. In the context of carbon free, there is a tendency to build cheaply, because even in this country there is a huge demand for construction, especially for housing. The thought is also to make the building easy to demolish when it completes its cycle. This, in our opinion, often ends up with architecture that will be unsustainable. For us, one of the important criteria is that our buildings should stand out for their quality, serve many years, age well and so on. So that the generations that come after us can continue to use them, adapt them, and not demolish them. Sustainability, after all, derives from the Latin sustinere - to last.
Interviewee: Katarzyna Jagodzińska
Illustrations courtesy of Architecture Club studio.
