Cowshed Wildenstein

The historic ensemble of Wildenstein is integrated in the castle heritage area from the 13th century.

During the years the site was extended with different typological constructions incorporated in a strong landscape environment.

The strategy for the project was developed around 3 different protection layers: existing nature elements, cultural landscape and existing classified monuments. Reacting to this special condition, the site was redesigned with a new building – a cowshed – that extends and reinterprets the existing farmyard context. The new building introduces a “closer” dialogue with the surroundings, incorporating at the same time the current requirements of the organic agricultural production. The scale of the intervention reinforces the existing alignments and landscape elements.

The project inverts the historic large pitched roofs and relates itself to the new typological element – the central courtyard. The inverted roof built around this space offers a good light and ventilation conditions and, as such, a perfect environment for the animals where the cows can move freely. All the functional areas are placed around this void providing an optimal functional flow.

The building develops as a set of structural wooden frames that create rhythms and space hierarchies. The floor plan is ruled with a strategic metric to define all interior spaces merging the “domestic” atmosphere (for the cows) with the existing landscape. The long facades are designed as an open wooden frame that incorporates references to traditional and rural wood ornament. They are the mediators of the repetitive, internal structure and the surrounding cultural landscape.

Cowshed Wildenstein, Bubendorf, Basel Land, Switzerland
Program: agro-industrial building
Architect: Kury Stähelin Architekten
Engineers: Berchtold.Lenzin, Krieger AG
Area: 945 sqm
Completion: 2013