135 House in Arlesheim

In this context, we worked almost exclusively with models in order to keep a handle on the complex spatiality between indoors and outdoors. In the last stage of planning, the house consisted only of a partially curved roof on supports, which echoed the topography of the slope.

Synthetic curtains on the exterior serve as sun screens for the glazed facades. These screens form the outermost layer of a multilayered facade consisting of interior and exterior curtains and glazed facades facing both the countryside and the courtyard. This layering characterizes the entire structure; the resulting definition of space allows its residents to stake out areas of their own that are either intimate and closed off or open to what is going on in the house.

Herzog & de Meuron, 1997