Urban sprawl, loss of well-defined centres, or the little boredom: living in the country has its drawbacks. But it doesn’t have to if architects and building developers act with one accord. As they have done in Altnau by Lake Constance: a bank HQ, commercial facilities, and apartments are arranged around a square. The relationship between the (built) things creates the space. The mix of different uses creates the place. The language of the architecture is understandable: it uses the idiom of regional, Alemannic thrift. 

Photographer : Roger Frei