The Graubünden municipality of Albula/Alvra is looking for investors for the “Haus Laim” in Alvaneu Bad, known as the “schoolhouse”. Architecture students at the Graubünden University of Applied Sciences have developed six possible variants for new uses. The municipality would like to sell the house if this makes renovation and long-term use possible.
Six architecture graduates from the Grisons University of Applied Sciences (FHGR) have developed new uses for the Laim House in Alvaneu Bad, which could ensure the continued existence of the valuable building. In their bachelor's theses, they suggest uses as a cultural archive, cultural center, dormitory, Erberia, psychosomatic clinic or naturopathic practice. The studies, supervised by lecturers Robert Albertin and Michael Meier from FHGR, were presented to the public on Wednesday.
“I am impressed by the students' work. They use and preserve the valuable building fabric, but turn it into a new infrastructure and thus show that this house has a future and could be used in a very diverse way,” said community leader Agnes Simeon at the presentation, which took place in the rooms of the vacant Laim house.
The municipality has no use for the house and does not want to rebuild it itself. Instead, it is looking for investors who see a future for the building and the terraced plot of land and want to repurpose it. The designs now presented should provide ideas for this.
Almost in original condition
The Laim house on the main street in Alvaneu Bad was built in 1850 as a residential building for the Laim family. In 1930, two rooms were combined and from then on used as a schoolroom for primary school. From 1935, the geometry office of the new owner Grünenfelder family was added. In 1961, the former municipality of Alvaneu, today part of the merger municipality of Albula/Alvra, bought the stately house and operated the municipal school in it until 1971. The Laim House has been largely empty for around 40 years.
It is part of the cantonal inventory list of townscapes, groups of buildings and individual buildings worthy of protection, as it shapes the townscape with its baroque façade and is still almost in its original state both outside and inside. During a renovation, the external appearance, the roof, the structure of the floor plans and parts of the historic equipment should be retained. Nevertheless, extensive expansions can be made on the spacious, terraced plot of land.
The diploma students and their projects
- Lucas Andreas Buschauer: Albula Cultural Archive
- Carmen Föhn: Alvaneu Bad Residence
- Selina Gabathuler: Erberia
- Fabio Kalberer: Albula Cultural Center
- Remo Steiner: Alvaneu Clinic
- Michaela Zberg: Practica Medicinala Naturala
Speakers FHGR: Robert Albertin, Michael Meier
documentation
A documentation of the presented works can be downloaded here.
pictures
Images of the six works can be downloaded free of charge from Flickr for editorial use: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gartmannbiz/albums/72157719153284926
personals
Municipality of Albula/Alvra
Agnes Simeon, community leader
081 681 12 44 | agnes.simeon@albula-alvra.ch
Robert Albertin
079 296 93 25 | ra@albertin-architektur.ch