Old people’s and nursing home in Rolle. Switzerland

Integrating the old people’s and nursing home programme into the topography of the hospital grounds made it possible to minimize the effects of the new volume and introduce a dialogue with the impressive existing building. The old people’s and nursing home comprises 50 rooms that are distributed over the two building sections on each side of the hospital.

The occupation of the edges of the property relieves the volume at the centre and makes it possible to retain the view from the existing building’s rooms. The entrance to the old people’s and nursing home is beneath the building section for the Psycho-Geriatric Ward. The connecting building, which provides access to the Geriatric Ward and includes communal spaces and operative rooms, is located beneath the hospital garden, which is enlarged in this way. The departments are on different levels and are each distributed on two floors.

The common rooms and tea kitchens are situated on the lower floors, thereby benefiting from the directly accessible exterior spaces. The upper levels accommodate the remaining bedrooms and small common areas, providing greater privacy.

The load-bearing structure of the building and the garden walls are made of reinforced fair-faced concrete.

The varying position of the equal-sized windows allows the rooms to be individually decorated and adds rhythm to the façade. The garden walls, which are an integral element of the architecture, also provide a new organisation for the exterior grounds.