overview of the building
client: family blösch
residential building / villa for a family with three children
situation
a residential building
built on a slope in 1904 in a living
area above biel was planned to be transfigured in a high comfort villa
of the family.
the house features all of the creative attributes of art nouveau
although they are, compared to other examples, less distinctive. in the
course of time some alterations/modifications which affect the original
style have been undertaken. the perron on the south side has been
replaced by a closed extension in the style of the fifties and inwardly
some insensitive modernisations have been made, for instance.
the surrounding area has not been kept for a long time and was savaged.
the parcel of land is situated on a cliffy, very narrow road. on the
estate was no existent parking space and the usable surrounding area is
quite small.
the building owner needed more space inside (two children’s
room on the upper floor) as well as a parking garage (with inside
turning round area) offering space for five cars. furthermore, the
house should offer high comfort. already existing elements of art
nouveau had to be conserved and the constructional alterations effected
in the original style. the garden had to be cultivated totally new,
whereas the artistic and conceptual principles of art nouveau had to be
adopted
solution
art nouveau was an urban
response to the
“siècle des lumières” and
earlier eras, which newly defined the often used geometric and classic
styles with organic and curvaceous forms, inspired by nature.
mühlemann + partner studied possible solution for building and
garden on adequate properties in one of art nouveau’s
strongholds. during art nouveau era, the garden was barely used, but
employed as a decorative element which was experienced from the
interior. the garden was divided into a natural, an opulent and a wild,
as well as into a graceful designed and civilised part.
the interventions on this object in biel contain expansion,
redevelopment, restoration as well as reconstruction.
an underground parking garage for four to five cars with inside turning
round area and for bikes could be realised one floor lower than the
already existing cellar due to the rocky underground. the entrance is
covered by a fan of glass, which is harmonically integrated in the
landscape gardening and picks up the art nouveau form. affiliated to
the parking garage, a new polyvalent room was realised. It is naturally
ventilated and disposes of natural light, due to an octagonal dome
light. such dome lights are popular in art nouveau. in this case, the
dome is also part of the landscape gardening.
a majority of the roof structure had to be reorganized and isolated.
the infrastructure-central and –dividers for electricity,
water as well as heating were replaced completely and integrated in the
quarry stone work facade on explicit desire of the builder.
the original painting found on the stairway as well as at certain
covers has been elaborately restored.
also the wood work of doors, frames, panelling and cover could be
repaired.
the facade had to be released from wrongly used plastic plaster up to
the quarry stone work and be replaced by new, mineral finery on lime
basis. the style-strange outbuilding was removed, in order to
reconstruct the original perron at the same place on the basis of the
original plans. this serves today as balcony for the bedroom in the
upper floor.
in order to be able to follow the builder’s desire after two
additional rooms and an extra bathroom for the two sons, the attic had
to be developed. this set high demands regarding the facade design, as
an additional window had to be integrated on an exposed place. iIt was
inserted as holistic addition of the existing window formation over two
floors.
city and landscape architect jean noël capart (bruxelles)
emulated the garden after Art nouveau.
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