1962, Gmür house, Adligenswil

That's how I grew up. A house made of concrete, by Otti Gmür, Adligenswil, Switzerland, 1961–1962

 

A plot of land with a wonderful view – but no money: The initial situation when my father, the architect Otti Gmür, planned and built this double single-family house in 1961–62. The floor plan is simple, but spatially rich as the rooms follow the grown terrain via steps. The materialization is raw and direct: Exposed concrete everywhere, a continuous clay slab floor, or rough plastered walls.

A functional but tight kitchen defines the continuously open ground floor. Pictures hang on the walls. Berber and Persian carpets define the dining area and the living area. Lush bouquets of flowers, carefully selected holiday souvenirs and an open fireplace that often burns create an atmosphere very much committed to modern living culture.

This is how I grew up, this is how I became "architecturally socialised"! Today, the house has been inventoried and is one of the most important modernist buildings in the canton of Lucerne. In collaboration with the architect Annette Helle, the house was carefully renovated and reconstructed.

Address
Obmatt 4, in 6043 Adligenswil, Switzerland

Architecture
Otto ("Otti") Gmür, Lucerne, 1961–1962

Reconstruction 2013
Patrick Gmür and Annette Helle (Helle Architecture, Zurich)

Project team
Gabriela Steiner (project management), Luciana Cometti, Marta Sutko