Extension vocational school, Tägerwilen, TG Switzerland, 2007, debut project. Photo: Dominique M. Wehrli New substation building Neuwiesen, Winterthur, ZH Switzerland, realisation 2015 – Top of the iceberg, the major part of the structure being situated underground. Photo: Arnold Kohler
New residential building Konradstrasse, Winterthur, ZH Switzerland, realisation 2021. Photo: Rasmus Norlander
STORYTELLING IDENTITY Winterthur based Graf Biscioni Architekten combine state-of-the-art technology with a poetic sense for the setting.
wilen vocational college, proved successful. Ever since, the office has won at least one competition per year, with a total sum of 21.
TEXT: CORNELIA BRELOWSKI
INTO THE FUTURE “We like to paint a picture,” the architects explain; “to us, the story is important because each house needs an identity.” To distill this identity, two factors become predominant for both planning and design – the people whom the building will serve, as well as the nature and context of the place, often described as ‘genius loci’. Graf Biscioni Architekten create atmosphere by defining both place and function and mirror them by way of abstract reduction. An example of this design principle is a recent residential project for senior citizens in Winterthur:
KONRADSTRASSE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING The old-age residence for the Zurich Atlas foundation shows an innovative layout con52
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Issue 93
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May 2022
cept which allows for unusually spacious baths and light-flooded living areas. Generous windows and terrace spaces guarantee a connection to the outside world from the comfort of the individual home. The streamlined, contemporary design language creates both a self-confident and unobtrusive presence in the urban surroundings.
THE ROOTS
The architects are excited to have already won three competitions in 2022. While those usually involve a public investor, the other half of the assignments for the Zurich based office stem from private clients: “We feel that private clients like to work with us because we offer 100 per cent architectural power. We plan, calculate the costs and often execute the realisation from out of the office. Thus, many clients stay with us for several projects in a row.”
Marc Graf and Roger Biscioni started out 20 years ago. The aspiring architects initially worked as waiters at the renowned Oskar Reinhart collection ‘Am Römerholz’ during the day, while spending their evenings drafting designs for architectural competitions. The fourth one, an extension for the Täger-
The major goal for Graf Biscioni Architekten is to implement new materials and innovative technologies, while enjoying the process of creating a new story and identity for each single new building, safely anchoring it in its immediate environment.