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HOUSE JCM is a 96 m² Swiss residence created by converting a nineteenth-century agricultural barn into a contemporary home. Ralph Germann architectes kept the steep roof, deep eaves, historic openings and original doors and windows, then inserted a new glass-and-timber living box inside the old structure. The strategy preserves the barn’s identity while making room for insulated, modern living spaces. Because the property lies in an agricultural zone, cantonal authorities required the renovation to respect the qualitative character of the existing building and its surroundings. Construction ran from 2022 to 2025, according to Archilovers, with the project year listed as 2025 by ArchDaily.
What is HOUSE JCM?
HOUSE JCM is an adaptive-reuse project in Switzerland by Ralph Germann architectes. The 96 m² home occupies a former nineteenth-century barn rather than replacing it with a new structure. ArchDaily identifies Ralph Germann as lead architect and lists 2025 as the project year; Archilovers records work beginning in 2022 and finishing in 2025.
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| Project fact | Published information |
|---|---|
| Building type | Nineteenth-century barn converted to a residence |
| Completed area | 96 m² |
| Location context | Swiss agricultural zone |
| Construction period | 2022–2025, according to Archilovers |
| Project year | 2025, according to ArchDaily |
Why did agricultural zoning shape the design?
The site’s agricultural designation made preservation a regulatory requirement, not simply an aesthetic preference. Cantonal building authorities required the intervention to respect the existing building’s qualitative identity and its relationship with the surrounding landscape. That requirement directed the architects toward a legible renovation: the barn remains recognizable from outside, while new accommodation is concentrated within it.
This approach avoids disguising the former agricultural use. The roof profile, eaves, openings and proportions continue to read as those of a working barn, allowing the residence to retain a clear connection to its rural setting.
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How does the glass-and-timber box work?
The architects preserved as much of the barn’s raw interior volume as possible by placing a large box made from glass and timber inside the existing enclosure. The box contains the living functions, while the old shell remains visible around it. This creates a deliberate contrast between rough historic fabric and precise contemporary construction.
Rather than distributing new rooms indiscriminately through the old walls, the insertion establishes a separate interior object. Its edges make the boundary between retained structure and new intervention easy to read, an approach often useful when an authority requires the original building to remain identifiable.
Which historic elements were retained?
The renovation keeps the building features that establish its nineteenth-century character:
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- the steeply pitched roof;
- deep roof eaves;
- triangular ventilation openings;
- original doors and windows;
- the proportions of the historic openings.
The roof was dismantled, insulated and waterproofed before being reassembled with the existing tiles. The architects’ description, published by ArchDaily, dates those tiles to 1913. Retaining the roof geometry and its historic covering preserves both the barn’s silhouette and evidence of its working life.
What materials and building systems update the barn?
New performance measures are combined with extensive material reuse. All timber removed from inside the barn was reused to make the kitchen and the lower-floor doors. Insulating lime render was applied to the exterior and interior façades, while blown mineral wool was installed between the upper-floor ceiling and the wall boards.
Heating and hot water are supplied by an air-to-water heat pump. A radiant steel fireplace provides an additional heat source. The published project information identifies these systems but does not give an equipment brand, model, design output or operating-cost figure, so the installation should not be treated as a documented performance benchmark.
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What can builders learn from the intervention?
Keep the old shell legible
Retaining roof lines, openings and proportions gives planners, neighbors and future occupants a clear visual record of the original barn. The new box can be contemporary without erasing that record.
Separate conservation from accommodation
An inserted volume allows kitchens, bathrooms and living areas to meet current requirements while leaving more of the historic enclosure intact. It also makes the new work easier to distinguish from the old.
Reuse demolition material deliberately
HOUSE JCM turns the barn’s recovered timber into visible interior elements rather than treating it as waste. Reuse works best when material dimensions, condition and joinery are assessed early enough to influence the design.
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Coordinate envelope and services
Insulation, lime render, roof waterproofing and mechanical systems were addressed as one renovation strategy. In an old agricultural building, sequencing these measures is essential: moisture management and retained ventilation openings must be resolved before finishes and services are finalized.
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What is not established about HOUSE JCM?
Public project descriptions provide the area, dates, design strategy and listed materials and systems, but they do not publish measured energy use, annual operating costs, embodied-carbon calculations or post-occupancy results. They also do not identify a retail product line, exact heat-pump model or downloadable plan set. Those omissions matter when using the project as a reference: HOUSE JCM demonstrates a conservation and insertion strategy, not a quantified energy case study.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who led the HOUSE JCM project and who photographed it?
ArchDaily credits Ralph Germann as lead architect for the project. The published photography is credited to Nicolas Sedlatchek.
Are HOUSE JCM drawings or exact product specifications available?
The published project information does not identify a plan set, equipment model numbers or branded product schedule. It describes the construction approach and material categories rather than providing procurement documents.
Does HOUSE JCM publish energy bills or post-occupancy data?
No measured energy-use, operating-cost or post-occupancy performance figures are included in the available project descriptions. The air-to-water heat pump and radiant steel fireplace are named as systems, but their real-world results are not reported.
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