Behind the sheer concrete walls of this agricultural school building in western eastern Switzerland is an auditorium with an exposed timber frame.
The building was designed by Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati and features a roof that pitches sharply upwards from a low-rise entrance facade to a rear wall that is more than three times as tall.
Low-level windows on opposite sides of the hall direct natural light towards a lecture stand at the front, while up to 180 students can be seated in rows behind.
We also recently featured a red concrete music studio by architect Valerio Olgiati, which you can see here.
Photography is by Javier Miguel Verme.
The description below is from Valerio Olgiati:
Plantahof Auditorium
The placement of the new auditorium creates a new central square within the overall structure of the Plantahof agriculture school. The high façade holds together the new piazza.
The inner space of the auditorium lies in half-light. Two windows facing each other define the inner space and allow for a view from the new piazza towards the axis of the Prättigau valley. A thin, dark coloured, concrete wall stretches over the pillars and beams like a tent. These elements are supported outside the building by the abutments. The structure combines in equal measure a frame and a solid construction. The result is a hybrid of pillars and walls, expressing an architectural concept and lending the building character.
The new auditorium is multifunctional and has a capacity of 130 to 180 seats. In addition to its conventional use, the new hall has the capacity to host different kinds of events such as seminars, congresses and panel discussions.
Object: auditorium
Location: Landquart, Switzerland
Competition: 1. prize, 2008
Client: Building control department of Canton Grison
Architect: Valerio Olgiati
Collaborators: Nathan Ghiringhelli (project manager office Olgiati), Daisuke Kokufuda
Construction supervisor: Georg Nickisch, Franz Bärtsch, ARGE Nickisch/Bärtsch, Chur
Structural engineer: Patrick Gartmann, Conzett Bronzini Gartmann AG, Chur
Materials: anthracite in-situ concrete, steel, chrome-nickel-steel
Begin of planning: november 2008
Begin of construction: october 2009
End of construction: october 2010
Volume: 2,240 m3 (SIA 416)
Area: 270 m2
the architect inside me likes it, while the person inside me is despaired
Not entirely responsive to the context now is it? This would be beautiful as a gallery, but a school? Are you bloody kidding me?
Unforgivable. Clumsy, ugly, without merit.
Best architect out there right now.
I adore Olgiatis work but this one is only good as a work of art, its not doing well as architecture for teaching…
I like some of Valerio Olgiati's buildings, but when compared to the Brazilian modernists work in concrete, from which he barrows so heavily, one must admit that it his own work is horribly uptight and lacking in soul…almost facist.
Austere, serious, and Swiss. The space seems to have the quality of a video game environment. I like it.
Oh my.
There is absolutely nothing positive to be said abouot this work.
As a learning environment it fails. As a piece of beauty it fails. As a building that uses it's onw space wisely, it fails.
I could go on but even thinking about it depresses me.
concrete and again concrete, dark and depressing, looks like a funeral chapel.
so sad but beautiful, i think i need some prozac
I’mwondering if Olgiati was inpired by Lewerentz’s last work, the Flower Kiosk at Malmo cemetery……….anyway very beautifully detailed!
If Landquart is located western switzerland…. NYC is on west cost.
grüezi angry swiss guy: everybody can make such a misstake!
please inform readers better, that the village of landquart is in the eastern part of switzerland, more exactly in the canton graubünden, between the regio of peter zumthor (around chur) and the regio of peter märkli (around sargans). lots of concrete, go and see it!
Front and interior are so inspiring but, in my opinion, there is no idea for back side elevation/roof
Olgiati deserves the benefit of any doubt I think and most of these doubts are based on not being able to experience the building in reality. It seems to me a very serious building but with subtle moves which take it away from purely functional brutalism into something much more poetic.
“Beauty” as used by some people here as a bat to beat the architect with is purely subjective and therefore at best
meaningless as a comment, at worst just insulting (dare I say ignorant).
No hint of context in the photos but I'd guess this is off the wall in comparison. Very powerful image inside and out that might be unsettling I would think. Seems over the top for it's purpose.
It looks great in photos – although a bit hard and cold for the end users…
as a building its beautiful, it has a muted severity
but Im not sure its suited to its use as a school, unless its a military school that is.
i know that it is very easy to critisize another's work- but in this case i feel justified to some extent. The architecture itself is great, i am a big fan of concrete in its raw form being used in decorative architecture. however, the architect, as so many architects do, has completely missed the needs of the end users which is of course the main objective. what use is an architecturally inspiring building when the use has been way-layed? also, the interiors have been completely disregarded. surely the budget should have been worked so that the architect could create the exterior whilst also leaving enough money for decent chairs- the reason for the auditorium in the first place? …
A nice setting for the town's Two minutes of Hate
I am reminded of Rothko's chapel in Houston TX, that too has a beautiful austerity.
It's a wee bit 'bunker-like" but I am certain the play of light on the exterior and interior will make for some dramatic moments.
reminds me of the famous Apple advert for the release of Apple II in 1984.
I'd like to note that much of the interior darkness seems te come from the fact that, well, the lineair tubelight elements aren't lighted for photographical reasons.
I am a swiss architecte since 25 years and I'm completly chocked by this bunker. It is an eyesore. The beauty is perhaps an insult in this country ?
Well it got all our attention, didn’t it?!!! ;-)
I think that he wins, people!
(But yes, hard, uncompromising, insensitive, ugly beautiful, raw. SCHOOL…. you’ve got to be kidding me.)