Needs-oriented, aesthetically executed

Team:Roland Baldi Architects + WN Architects +
Arch. Marlene Roner

The Trayah Social Centre consists of three parts: a residential building, a workshop and an educational wing which are connected by an arcade to form a coherent building complex. In the sheltered workshop, people with disabilities are cared for in seven work groups and one group for people with severe disabilities. The Trayah Social Centre houses a laundry, a creative group, a weaving workshop, a sewing workshop, an embroidery workshop, a candle-making group, and a project team. The products made by the various working groups are sold throughout the year in the centre’s own store.
The project for the extension and conversion of the workshop wing of the social centre was won through public tender: the aim was to extend the workshop building, which had become too small, and at the same time to solve the problem of overheating in the upper rooms due to the original skylights. The existing building was demolished up to the upper edge of the first-floor ceiling and two new floors were added. The basement remained unchanged and the layout of the first floor was only altered slightly. The vertical access via staircase and elevator remained in the same position on the first floor and was extended to the new second floor. The location and position of the washrooms and toilets on the first floor were not changed, but restructured, refurbished, and taken up to the second floor. These measures enabled the construction work to be carried out quickly and cost-effectively.
The main task was to integrate the new spaces into the existing building in such a way that the existing sequence of buildings in the social centre ensemble was not interrupted. For this reason, a simple structure was inserted into the “gap in the building” which could be identified and understood from the outside. The slightly modified and angled hipped roof employs the language of the existing building while also connecting it yet endows the building with its own character which is visible and perceptible to the viewer through the different façade surfaces. To avoid placing unnecessary strain on the static structure of the existing building and to keep the construction time as short as possible, the extension was built using lightweight construction materials and timber and the existing grid of the first floor was maintained. Accordingly, the visible exterior façade was also constructed from wood, so that the choice of both building and material is particularly visible to the users.
Circumferential ribbon windows, some of which wrap around the building’s corners, divide the building horizontally, thus visually reducing the height of the building and allowing the main rooms of the workshop to be recognized from the outside. The windows in the stairwell area and the washing facilities are covered by every second batten of the timber façade, so that these rooms also receive sufficient daylight. The uniform texture of the façade gives the building an identity that can be seen from afar. The location and arrangement of the interior rooms and open spaces were deliberately designed to be clear and legible for all those using the workshops. The central area of each floor of the building is formed by a generous open space from which all other areas are visible. The second floor differs from the first floor primarily in the shape of the roof, which can also be seen from inside the building. The external, minimalist escape staircase made of steel was deliberately connected to the new structure and each individual storey as an independent object. The building was constructed to Casa Clima standard A.As a variety of activities are carried out in the work and therapy rooms and the users have specific needs, particular emphasis was placed on the interior design: ergonomic worktables and corner benches for socializing, cosy sofa corners, user-friendly hoists, electric reclining chairs and care beds as well as multi-sensory Snoezelen equipment. The result is an attractive and modern workspace in which people with disabilities can now work in a needs-oriented way.

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