Architekturgalerie Berlin

5 Timber Constructions – Material, Reduction, Balance

The Swiss architectural practice Rossetti+Wyss has made a name for itself by tackling a wide range of building tasks: from the renovation of the Dada birthplace, the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, to the exhibition pavilion Territoire imaginaire at the Swiss national exhibition Expo.02 in Biel, the House on Zimmerberg in white exposed concrete, or concepts for sustainable urban development in Costa Rica.

For the exhibition “5 Timber Constructions – Material, Reduction, Balance”, Nathalie Rossetti and Mark Aurel Wyss focus entirely on recent works that demonstrate their subtle and innovative approach to timber construction. The AWEL workshop hall is built from large, prefabricated elements that interlock on site. The House Gottshalden is reduced to an almost graphic form. The banqueting hall of the Trublerhütte, situated in a forest, is both interior and exterior space at once. The Duplex House in Zurich overturns conventional hierarchies: a massive concrete ceiling rests upon delicate timber walls. And the Bachmatte in Gstaad reveals the architects’ careful handling of traditional heritage.

Through a spatial installation of large-scale photographs and models, Rossetti+Wyss take visitors to the Architektur Galerie Berlin on an expedition into the contemporary interpretation of timber as a building material. They explore its diverse facets, play with its potential for reduction, and probe the balance that runs like a red thread through their work: between construction and form, material and function, density, and lightness.

Planning: Rossetti+Wyss Architekten

Text: Thomas Kramer

Photos: © Jürg Zimmermann © Jan Bitter