Studio Gugger | Mueller Brewery

Urban design

The Müllerbäu site is located in the centre of Baden in the immediate vicinity of the railway station. The urban environment is heterogeneous in terms of use and form, with structures ranging from perimeter blocks to large free-standing buildings. With the relocation of beer production, the site was redeveloped through a design plan process. The existing buildings on the site, such as the boiler house, brewhouse and malt silo, as well as the historic beer garden, were included in the process. The urban development concept is based on two plinth buildings extending to the boundaries of the site, four multi-storey high points placed on top and a newly introduced alley, the Brauereigasse.

Architecture

In building area B, designed by Studio Gugger, a striking ten-storey volume rises above the base building, which follows the curved course of the plot boundary to the north and east and adjoins the existing buildings to the west, forming the prelude to the site at a height of around 37 metres. The first floor follows the façade of the ground floor to the east. From the 2nd floor onwards, the building protrudes far beyond the plinth and is orientated towards the opposite course of Güterstrasse.

This gesture creates the necessary floor space for the apartments on the upper floors on the one hand and a striking address on the other. The blurring of the plinth and cantilevered building structure creates a dynamic, identity-creating architecture. The façade gets its elegant appearance from deep, slightly concave curved parapet bands made of prefabricated ceramic elements. The pilaster strips between the parapet bands, which also curve concavely, give the window level a vertical structure.

The ground floor and the street-side part of the 1st floor are intended for commercial use, while the south-western part of the 1st floor and the 2nd to 10th floors contain a total of 76 flats. From the 2nd floor upwards, five 2 1⁄2-room flats, two 3 1⁄2-room flats and one 4 1⁄2-room flat are arranged around the access core on each floor. On the 1st basement floor there is a car park extending over both building areas, as well as bicycle, technical and waste disposal rooms, while the 2nd basement floor houses cellar, storage and laundry rooms. Access to the bicycle rooms is via an internal bicycle ramp via Brauereigasse.