Widmi Lenzburg

Extending to the south of the old part of the city of Lenzburg and connecting to the circular bypass is an open-country area between Burghaldenstrasse and the Boelli: The “Widmi”. What is special about the place is the view of the castle, Goffersberg mountain, Boelli Hill and the Staufberg mountain and, bordering on the perimeter, the Lindenallee avenue with the town creek. The building of the competitive-bid project on Site 1 will be the first module of a new residential development.

The building will line up with the property boundary and occupy the four corners of the lot. The structure will encompass two courtyards. At the northern end, the courtyard will open toward the park, at the southern end toward Lindenallee avenue and the town creek. The building will be between 12 and 16 meters deep, with two to four upper levels, one lower level, basement and parking garage. At the ground-floor level, three north-to-south passageways cut through the structure. One can thus traverse the complex without compromising the privacy of the ground-floor apartments. Plans call for a diversity of apartments for varying lifestyles and needs, with the majority being family dwellings.

The high residential standard is reflected in the façade by the wooden balconies which in a special way express and articulate the transition between the outside stone cladding and the cozy inside. The balconies and windows synchronize the façade with the structure of the interior. The deep wooden frames around the balconies and windows create a three-dimensional image of the façade, with a constantly changing three-dimensional shadow effect giving the building a different appearance at any given time of day.

The compact structural design offers an excellent wall-to-living space ratio. The high proportion of masonry in the outer wall with smartly positioned window openings provides good thermal insulation, setting the conditions for an efficient, future-oriented system meeting the ‘Minergie’ (energy star) standard.