REKA Vacation Village, Urnäsch (CH)

Set amid the sloping foothills of the Alps in Eastern Switzerland, the village of Urnäsch is located at ca. 800 meters above sea level. Fifty units for families with children are housed in three angular wings abutting in a comb-shaped pattern to the central unit featuring communal services. The Kantonstrasse extends south past the development. Here, the four communal buildings shield the accommodations and courtyards behind them from noise and dust. An underpass allows safe access to the playgrounds and the swimming area at Urnäsch. The access to the holiday village is on the east side, where the car park and a parking deck are located under the first wing.
The row of communal buildings features the main entrance and the reception desk on the east side. Adjacent to the structure is the youth room, a multifunctional space with a communal kitchen designed for various events. The next building houses a kindergarten, a cafeteria, a library and a TV room; the dressing rooms for the swimming pool, located in the third building, are on the lower level. The fourth edifice provides stables for five types of small animals. The contact with these animals and their care belong to the concept of the holiday village. A wooden structure with excellent fire control properties perches above the basement made of reinforced concrete. The flat roofs are extensively greened, so that the settlement is well integrated into the surroundings.

Client: Feriendorf Urnäsch
Location: CH-9107 Urnäsch, Appenzellerstrasse 11
Architecture: Dietrich | Untertrifaller with Roland Gnaiger
Project management: Günther Prechter, Norbert Haumer
Construction: 2006-2007
Area: 5,100 m²
Capacity: 50 vacation homes

Awards
2008 Minergie Eco Certification

Partner
site management: Amann Partner, Stein / structural engineering timber: SJB Kempter Fitze, Herisau / structural engineering concrete: Moggi, Herisau / HAVCR: Euplan, Herisau / electronics: Graf, Herisau / building physics: Weithas, Hard / landscape: Engeler, Herisau /// photos: © Bruno Klomfar