It’s no secret that we love a well-designed concrete house, no matter how Brutalist its sentiments, but this fortress-like cube near the Zurich airport in Switzerland is perhaps a little too severe. And yet, something about its "formal severity" still beckons.
Designed by HDPF Architekten, this three-story residence, called Haus Meister, features walls pockmarked with air bubbles on the facade and a series of slightly recessed windows framed by rougher concrete. Seams are visible on the exterior and are most prominent between floors, with the top floor ever so offset from the two below it.
The only other adornment is a small steel balcony protruding from a top floor window doubling as a stilted overhang above the main entrance, and a couple "false" windows. Inside, the walls are institution-white-brick or otherwise raw concrete, which also make up the staircase, floors, and ceiling. Rooms are open, spacious, and directly connected to one another in an effort to minimize the need for corridors. Warmth comes from natural sunlight and wooden furniture. What do you think: Is this a Brutalist beauty or a bunker?
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