Casa Romagnolo 住宅更新丨瑞士丨Wespi de Meuron Romeo

Casa Romagnolo is a house in Acquarossa, Switzerland, updated by Wespi de Meuron Romeo in 2024. The historic building was largely in good original condition, but the design reinforced its quality with targeted corrections. Key elements updated included the access and entrance situation and the north-facing extension for the bathrooms. The architect aimed to support and enhance the original architecture through thoughtful modifications.

Historic House Update

Casa Romagnolo’s original condition was largely retained by Wespi de Meuron Romeo, focusing on reinforcing its quality with targeted corrections. Key aspects revised included the access and entrance situation and the north-facing extension for bathrooms.

Access and Entrance Arrangement

Its original, almost monumental symmetrical double staircase on the richly-designed main façade indicated an outdated entrance: “Up the stairs! Here is my entrance!” However, this is no longer true today, since visitors are led to the side of the house.

Previously, the iconic staircase formed a crucial point of entry into the village center until two nearby houses were demolished for road construction, which altered the spatial ambiance, severing its connection to the center. Moreover, the new garden staircase was laid out incorrectly, leading users past the main entrance. Thus, the clear access and entrance situation was lost to the modern era, its grand façade standing peculiarly astray in the front garden above the retaining wall.

Redefining Access and Entrance

Corrections to these urban changes aim to reclaim its spatial functionality. By removing the existing garden stairs, a new natural stone-paved and welcoming access staircase directly leads to the historical double staircase. This redefines the entry, allowing house access through the vaulted cellars in the basement or the historical staircase on the ground floor. It allows the overall historic feel to be experienced and enlivened. Although the new flat-sloped access staircase is symmetrical to the house, it’s not precisely symmetrical in detail, so as not to exaggerate Casa Romagnolo’s monumentality.

Contemporary Solutions for North-Facing Extension

The northern extension from a more recent period exhibited a ‘historicising style’ but was deemed inappropriate to the original historical context and devalued Casa Romagnolo. Despite that, the location remained functionally appropriate for the bathrooms and technical room below.

Instead of shifting locations, contemporary architectural designs were employed. The extension now includes dry stone masonry analogous to the garden walls and features external courtyards in front of the bathrooms.

Connection between Indoors and Outdoors

This is enhanced further through materialisation choices, as the flat roof has natural stone paving, forming a connection to the sloshing roof – but in a contemporary, abstract form.

The inner forecourt in front of the baths has a glazed roof, allowing the area to be seen as outdoor space, albeit covered with glass, as if already outside the historic house. The design suggests the baths are situated in the garden, seamlessly integrating indoors with surrounding outdoor landscape.