Herzog & De Meuron's Plywood House

Plywood House by Herzog & De Meuron Rappenbodenweg 6, 4103 Bottmingen, Switzerland

History and Architects Inten1ons: In 1984-85, Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre De Meuron, of the Herzog and De Meuron architecture firm in Basel, Switzerland, altered a tradiEonal 1940’s villa owned by a veterinarian surgeon that occupied a corner lot in the neighbourhood. When planning the addiEon, the park that the villa was originally built on was to be preserved as much as possible. This meant that the large Paulownia tree and its roots behind the villa were to be leP unharmed. This prohibited the architects from digging foundaEons for the new extension, leaving them to resort building it on sElts and seRng it on projecEng sleepers.

The new pavilion was intended to funcEon as a theatre therefore meaning it needed to be easily accessible from the nearby street. APer going around the original villa, the public were able to access the marioneUe theatre ( as seen on the satellite image to the right ).

Structure and Interior The project is thought of as a lightweight box, like a musical instrument such as a violin si:ng on projec;ng sleepers and consis;ng of plywood sheets, arranged in a balloon-frame construc;on that recalls tradi;onal cra?smanship of Japanese architecture. This material was varnished in a dark tone that creates an elegant style, resembling a graceful wooden chest that you would find old puppets and figurines in. The wooden structure of the building si:ng on s;lts creates a light, peaceful atmosphere whilst adding a floa;ng element to the building.

In addi;on, elements of the park and a brief informed the design’s specifics. For instance, the installa;on of an elevated stage on the Western side raised the roof line, necessita;ng the use of wood panels larger than those used in other por;ons of the project due to industry standards. The walls were mounted with wooden frames hung from them, with the flat gable roof rested atop of them like a hat. The kitchen and bathroom sit either side of the central living room crea;ng a U-shape on three sides which includes the entrance, workspace, storage space, and a puppet stage. This protects the pavilion against humidity and is staged like a soundbox that is open on the south side. This allows sunlight to warm the house during the day and stay comfortably heated. This is known as a passive design principle that uses the movement of heat, air, and light to keep the internal spaces of a building in good condi;on for the residents to be comfortable in. By using natural movements, there is a reduced need for energy consump;on which can be demonstrated by the storage unit placed in the north side of the building. This specific space in the addi;on receives less daylight and direct sunrays than any other space in the building, meaning it would be a constantly cooler area. This area was used specifically for storage due to these condi;ons due to the fact it would be unprac;cal to have a cool room as a main social area in the house. Due to the chilled condi;ons of the room, regular hea;ng would be required which would be expensive, imprac;cal and harmful to the environment.

SOUTH ELEVATION. 1:50 SCALE

Paulownia Tree: The tree that surrounds the Plywood House is a Paulownia Tree, which is a deciduous hardwood tree. This type of tree is naEve to Central and Western China. This specific type of tree is very dimensionally stable due its straight grains, meaning the tree was reliable to add in as a structural element to the overall building form. Herzog and De Meuron used this informaEon to their advantage and placed the extension as close as possible to the tree, connecEng the original villa and the new addiEon by a walkway. The architects intenEonally built the north side of the building as if it was receding inwards, giving it the illusion that the tree trunk had pushed it in or that the extension had grown around the tree over Eme. This gives the building its own unique element as well as being able to protect the environment in the meanEme. The also did this for a specific reason as it enhances the central posiEon and importance of the tree, demonstraEng the preservaEon of both the tree and the park. The large crown of the tree also allows it to act as an extended roof to the building and provide it with natural shading during Emes on intense sunrays. Overall this creates a unity between the house and the tree as well as showing how the architects worked with nature and successfully incorporated it into their plans.

Paulownia trees are also known for having a good decay resistance as well as opposing rot with decent weathering meaning it wouldn’t affect the new extensions appearance of materials in a negaEve way. This is another reason as to why Herzog and De Meuron benefiUed from using the tree as an important element in the new addiEon.

NORTH ELEVATION. 1:50 SCALE

Impact on the environment: Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers or “plies” of wood veneer that are the glued together with adjacent layers. The layers of plywood are rotated up to 90 degrees before being glued together to offer more texture to allow them to sEck fully. It has a very smooth and light appearance which was perfect for this specific project.

However, this material was not only used for its appearance, but it is also more sustainable than other materials such as concrete. Plywood is one of the most environmentally friendly materials and it is completely biodegradable. One tree provides more material when being prepared from plywood producEon rather than solid wood. Using plywood is also relaEvely economical and readily available.

Inspira8on: Herzog and De Meuron used many well-known architects as inspiraEon for their projects, however, for this specific project, references from both Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier can be visually seen on the project. For example, the three-sided enclosure on the south façade as well as the centre bays twin columns are reminiscent of Le Corbusier’s 1930 Swiss pavilion and his 5 elements of architecture.

On the other hand, The intricate details included on the roof and the smaller ledges above the windows are more comparable to designs created by Frank Lloyd Wright.

1:50 SCALE DRAWING

The Model: When building the model, we decided we would build the tree on its own first, so we could have a similar understanding to the full experience Herzog and De Meuron were tasked with when they had to work around this obstacle. We beOer understood how the extension was formed around the tree and how it was a big part in determining the design and final product of the building.

Addi;onally, we decided to use balsa wood for the model structure and frame of the house as it is thin and delicate which represents the light atmosphere of the house. The Balsa wood also plays a good role in imita;ng the actual plywood used to build the house. For the tree we decided to use real branches and twigs to construct a mini version of the paulownia tree as it gives the model an authen;c element.

Our opinion: We as a group collec;vely decided that we liked the design and execu;on of this building due to its unique features and elements. We found it interes;ng how they decided to include the tree in the design by pushing the extension as close as possible to the tree as they could, when they easily could have lessened the distance of the extension and made the building a perfect rectangle. We enjoyed learning about the thought process that went into this project and recrea;ng it. It was very interes;ng seeing the different ways nature can coexist with architecture to produce naturally beneficial buildings. An example of a different way architecture can unite with nature can be demonstrated in Le Corbusier’s Villa Shodhan in India. Corbusier uses his design principles of open floor plans and long windows to facilitate beOer air circula;on as well as mi;ga;ng direct solar heat to maintain some cool rooms and offer alternate places of rest in the warm climate, overall showing how he worked alongside the climate in India to create the villa. Whereas Herzog and De Meuron used the Paulownia tree to create natural shading as well as preserving and helping the environment inn a simplis;c yet effec;ve way. They also promoted deforesta;on which is beneficial to the world as well as to the surrounding area when concerning carbon dioxide absorp;on.

Bibliography: Architecture, H. (2022). Plywood House. [online] Hidden Architecture. Available at: https://hiddenarchitecture.net/plywood-house/.

Herzog & de Meuron. (n.d.). 027 Plywood House. [online] Available at: https://www.herzogdemeuron.com/projects/027-plywood-house/.

Tumblr. (n.d.). ofhouses. [online] Available at: https://ofhouses.com/post/688458564558258176/995-herzog-de-meuron-plywoodhouse [Accessed 29 Nov. 2023].

Viva, A. (n.d.). Plywood House, Bottmingen - Herzog & de Meuron. [online] Arquitectura Viva. Available at: https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/casa-de-maderacontrachapada-bottmingen-0 [Accessed 30 Nov. 2023]. www.atlasofplaces.com. (n.d.). Plywood House by Herzog & de Meuron (556AR) — Atlas of Places. [online] Available at: https://www.atlasofplaces.com/architecture/plywood-house/?/Plywood-HouseHerzog-de-Meuron.

Picture References: Herzog & de Meuron. (n.d.). 027 Plywood House. [online] Available at: https://www.herzogdemeuron.com/projects/027-plywood-house/.

Tumblr. (n.d.). ofhouses. [online] Available at: https://ofhouses.com/post/688458564558258176/995-herzog-de-meuron-plywoodhouse [Accessed 29 Nov. 2023]. www.atlasofplaces.com. (n.d.). Plywood House by Herzog & de Meuron (556AR) — Atlas of Places. [online] Available at: https://www.atlasofplaces.com/architecture/plywood-house/?/Plywood-HouseHerzog-de-Meuron.