A curtain of brown aluminum profiles surrounds the top story of the multifamily residence in Diepoldsau. Folding sliding shutters allow the residents to open the curtain to suit their needs.
The Villa Savoye, built in 1931 by Le Corbusier in Poissy near Paris, is considered to be a radical counter-design to the rigid construction style of the time. The support structure of columns, glazing and floor slabs is completely detached from the facade and partition walls that merely provide a secondary bracing. The concept served as an inspiration to the architects Dominik Hutter and Thomas Nüesch when they designed the multi-family residence in Zwinghofstrasse in Diepoldsau. There are a number of similarities between the two-story building with seven apartments and the Villa Savoye: accessibility via the building’s axis, a reduced load-bearing structure, a virtually floating top story, columns on the ground floor and generous glazing.
It inspired the two architects to create a special facade design. Panels of perforated aluminum sheeting stained brown surround the upper half of the building like a curtain. They protect the rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows from unwanted attention and from sunlight whilst establishing a relationship with the surrounding area: the brown tone reflects the color of the surrounding roofs. The idea of the curtain was implemented with an eye for consistence. It can be moved to one side wherever the residents want daylight and views to the outside. This is made possible by 46 folding sliding shutter packets, each with four elements measuring 48 centimeters in width and 3.5 meters in height. Running on Hawa Frontfold 20 hardware, they are guaranteed to provide consistently good sliding and folding behavior.
