Noue Studio Restores 1936 Modernist Apartment in Fribourg by Revealing Hidden Original Features
Noue Studio has finished renovating an apartment within Fribourg's inaugural modern structure, a flat-roofed building from 1936 designed by Pierre Vauthey, now designated as a Category A2 cultural heritage site. The renovation emphasizes revelation by unveiling the original ribbed concrete ceiling and restoring a previously sealed serving hatch to link the kitchen and living areas. A carefully selected material palette distinguishes service spaces, featuring natural plaster, from living areas adorned with textured wallpaper that reflects the ribbon windows' horizontal lines. The woodwork has been adjusted to a beige-brown hue to honor its patina. The project respects the building's original daylight, leaving the ribbon windows and corner glazing intact, ultimately transforming heritage limitations into a method that aligns with protection requirements. The apartment now clearly conveys its intended modernist vision.
Key facts
- Building designed in 1936 by Pierre Vauthey
- Protected as Category A2 cultural heritage asset
- Ribbed concrete ceiling exposed and embraced as primary ordering element
- Kitchen joinery replaces sealed wall at former serving hatch location
- Service areas receive natural plaster finish; living spaces get textured wallpaper with horizontal line at door height
- Woodwork tone is beige-brown adjusted from original to account for patina
- Ribbon windows and corner glazing left untouched
- No additional apertures or lighting strategy introduced
Entities
Artists
- Pierre Vauthey
Institutions
- Noue Studio
- Architecture for London
- Hamish Vincent Design
- Raúl Sánchez Architects
Locations
- Fribourg
- Switzerland
- Mataró