ContinentalePhaistos.
Three buildings with four little squares

location:  Küsnacht, Switzerlandyear:   2023program:Elderly housingstatus:Open competition, 5th prize

Phaistos is an articulated building that embodies the stratification of its historical context. It consists of four blocks joined together, which form a rich sequence of spaces, smoothly separating private and public domains. The building embraces a flowing interplay between interior and exterior, enjoying the historical landscape garden and the views over the Zurich lake. With its volume, it defines a sequence of four outdoor spaces with different characters: a service forecourt towards the street, a shady entrance court for the residents with a view onto the garden through a generous transparent lobby, a panoramic terrace for the bistro enclosed on two sides by a porch. "The corner entrance of the historical Landhaus is complemented by a porch that extends around the corner and serves as the bistro's outdoor terrace. Large stone slabs accentuate the intensively used leisure areas between the buildings. This finely woven carpet ties the old and new building ensemble together and gives it a new identity." (Extract from the jury report)