1501 Retirement Home Gossau

In order to integrate the new retirement home within the urban context the scale and sizes of the surrounding are taken as a guiding theme and as a repertoir for the design of the ensemble. Thus the project appears as a complex of four single buildings connected via a common basement. A brought range of different interior and exterior spaces is offered to the residents, so a self determined life in privacy, community and public is possible. Small public spaces and niches with benches between the buildings along the streets offer a high level of public connectivity. The courtyard in the center of the ensemble is visually connected with the exterior and offers a variety of uses towards the public. On the upper floor one finds the terrace that is mainly reserved for the residents. Smaller common spaces can be found on each floor of the buildings. The courtyard is the central element of identification and orientation. Residents can see it from all points and follow its changes over the course of the seasons.