Location | Altdorf UR |
Client | Stiftung für einen Ort der Besinnung an der A2 in Uri |
Commission | Competition 1996, 2nd Prize |
Architects | Graber & Steiger Architekten |
Consultants | Father Marin Graber, Baldegg monastery |
The high-speed journey on the motorway between northern Europe and the South causes a changed perception of spatial and temporal dimensions: Stretches that structure the route can hardly be recognised, since one’s awareness of the landscape through which one travels is only fleeting, thereby largely dissolving one’s own relationship to the environment. This dynamic situation is countered by a «place of contemplation». A solid, layered envelope made of stone creates a peaceful retreat that is protected from weathering and the busy motorway. The interior, which is divided in a cruciform way, guides visitors step by step to a place of spiritual reflection: the entrance area that receives its visitors; the long, narrow room with a panorama window that directs one’s view towards nature; the dark, composed contemplation room that allows one to direct one’s thought inwards. Along the River Reuss, a soothing, meditative walkway includes text passages from different world religions, recalling the collective knowledge of the world community.
The current issue 13/2022 of TEC21 introduces the mixed-use conversion on Denkmalstrasse in Lucerne. Among others, the report highlights how the specific concept of the building achieves a lofty spatial openness despite a highly dense urban context and how the simple and raw spaces invite to a playful appropriation for living and working. Minimalism as an offer!