SICCO – Ideal Architecture: house

Semesterarbeit – Tamino Hertel & Julian Merlo
Studio Emmanuel Christ & Christoph Gantenbein

Summer is coming to an end, the leaves are turning red and the temperatures are dropping slowly. It’s time to harvest the vegetables and herbs from the garden. It has been a rich summer which brought a lot of yield. Since not everything can be eaten fresh, it’s time to preserve the tomatoes, chilies, herbs and more. Their durability increases and will offers a sustainable and healthy nourishment throughout the colder months.


The knob of the domestic object Sicco is turned up and the central living room is heated the first time again. Hot water, heated by a geothermal heat pump, flows through the intertwined pipes. At the same time, the crops to be preserved are placed in the heating device to dry. In the lower half of Sicco, sliced fruits and vegetables are placed on small trays and pushed into the narrow openings. Heated air rises through the permeable grids, ensuring good air circulation. In the upper half of the unit are two more slots, used for hanging herbs and spices in between the hot tubes. The warm, comforting scent of dried herbs from the garden fills the air. It is time to take the food out of the unit.

Temperatures continue to drop and the first snow falls. Soon the landscape is covered in a thick white coat. After a long day in the snow, one arrives in the warmth of home. Wet clothes are hung up and dried in between the warm pipes of the Sicco. Finally, there is something to eat. Food from one’s own garden can now be enjoyed even in the deepest winter. The snow is drizzling outside, a hot peppermint tea is steaming in the cozy living room.