Laufenburg builds windmills at the train station

Opposite Laufenburg station, a residential ensemble is being built that draws strength from the contradictions of its location. Two staggered buildings, a lush green layer and over 30 apartments. Together with Urben Seyboth AG, AWW Architekten AG has won an invited study contract that is far more than just another residential project. The client is Erne Entwicklung AG. Construction has not yet started, but the signature has been set.

The Schützegärte site is located in a sensitive urban location. Three streets surround it, and building typologies from different decades clash all around. It is precisely this chaos that is the theme. AWW Architekten AG makes the “contrasting and bilateral” the basis of the concept. The architecture emerges from the tension of the location, not against it.

Offset, rotated, anchored
Two identical, four-storey buildings form the ensemble. They are not parallel, but offset and rotated in relation to each other on the slightly sloping terrain. This positioning is not an aesthetic conceit, but a precise reaction to the formation of edges and the flow of space in relation to the neighboring buildings. An ensemble that blends in while remaining independent. The total floor area is around 4,600 square meters, the building volume around 13,800 cubic meters.

Windmill as a residential model
The architectural concept is based on a compact four-span “windmill” building shape with a central staircase core. The projecting wings characterize the façade and make reference to typical bay window shapes in the district. Each apartment is oriented on three sides. At the heart of the building are the “four-season rooms” with spacious rooms that can be used as conservatories, studios or living and dining areas. Together with loggias, this creates a flexible range of spaces for a wide variety of lifestyles.

Green, communal, grounded
The open space between the houses is deliberately kept low-threshold. Accessible from inside and from the street. A green layer of native shrubs and perennials protects the first floor apartments and gives the development character. At one corner, the area opens up to a meadow-like situation with fruit trees, a reference to the local tradition of orchards close to settlements. The project considers housing and community as a unit.

Next steps open
The town of Laufenburg was not involved in the planning process. Town clerk Marco Waser confirms that the building authorities only clarified the building regulations in advance. The town has not yet made an assessment. The landowner Erne Immo AG has not yet commented on the time horizon for implementation.