Conversion and extension of a historical house Zeughausgasse

Client: Private

Location: Zeughausgasse 21, 6300 Zug

Area: 910 m²

Completion: 2007

Award: ‘Red Nail’ [Roter Nagel]

Publication: TUGIUM 2008

The key component of the project at Zeughausgasse 21 is a structure attached to or inserted into the rear of the building, which replaces the stairwell and the more recently built kitchen/bathroom area and also contains recessed balconies. The location and dimensions of the new part of the building take the legacy building structure into consideration. The loss of building fabric is limited to one of the four perimeter walls on the first and second floors. On the façades, the new structural element appears as an independent, precisely inserted building. The house entrance was relocated from the mezzanine floor to the basement. 

The structural solutions follow a pattern typical of historical centre of Zug. While the lane-side façades have remained unchanged for long periods of time, the rear of the building has constantly been rebuilt and added to. The type and use of these structures relate to the importance of the exterior spaces at the back. For example, while in the narrow Ehgraben between the upper and lower parts of the historical centre, changes can only be made vertically, at Zeughausgasse 21, the attractive garden and the vicinity of the Capuchin monastery means that an extension with balconies can be built, directly relating to the qualities of the surroundings.