Haus Rauch / the Rauch House

The town of Schlins in Vorarlberg has long been a Mecca for all those with an interest in clay construction. On the steep southern slope, the clay builder Martin Rauch worked together with Zurich architect Roger Boltshauser to erect his new artist's residence. From its foundation all the way to its flat roof, it is made entirely of excavated soil from the site on which it is built: the floors and arched ceilings, the plasterwork on ceiling and walls, the washstands, tiles, and stairs -- all are made from the single material clay in its various forms. The house is a show house as well as the document of a unique collaboration. At the same time, it is a striking example of how, with the structural and design limitations of this "soft" and massive building technique, a spatially and tectonically adequate design can be achieved -- and how an archaic building technique can be used in a contemporary manner. With today's renewed focus on energetic and ecological consequences, clay construction, with its special ecological, organic, and aesthetic qualities, is again becoming a subject of widespread interest. The structure presented in this book has received national and international awards and represents a milestone in the field.