Diesbach was once a village that was home to generations of people from all walks of life.

Following the relocation and closure of the textile factories in the Linth valley, demographic

decline ensued, leaving vacant buildings behind after the workers had left.

Other factors also contributed to the decline in Diesbach's social life. The village shop, which

used to be a place for villagers to share, had to close because it was no longer profitable. The

village Gasthaus, which had a small bar-restaurant, also closed, leaving the villagers without a

meeting place close to home.

This lack of meeting places quickly became apparent during our site visits, and was confirmed by

the villagers we met.

But how can Diesbach be revitalised?

Thanks to our regenerative farm project in Diesbach, a new economic activity is emerging in the

village. This farm of more than 100 hectares involves more than forty farmers and supplies a wide

variety of local produce.

The former village shop building has been converted into a kitchen, restaurant and grocery shop.

Products from our regenerative farm, as well as products from the Legler areal start-ups, are sold

on site in a self-service shop, the pantry of the inhabitants of Diesbach.

These products are also prepared in the kitchen to create dishes available in three different ways.

They are sold directly in the grocery shop for takeaway, they are also available by delivery for the

village's elderly, and it is also possible to eat them on site in the Diesbach canteen, a place that

brings together villagers, seasonal workers and new workers from the village. All generations from

different working backgrounds come together in this place of sharing, which had disappeared and

was so much appreciated by the villagers.

On the ground floor is the village's kitchen and pantry, which benefits both. The cooks use the

pantry to prepare meals and also restock the shelves with takeaway food.

The first floor is accessible via a staircase that opens onto the public space to access the

restaurant area. The staircase leads past a greenhouse, a reminder that the produce comes

directly from the village and a foretaste of what's on the plates.

This greenhouse was once a garage that has now been transformed into a place for growing

plants. The wooden structure of the existing garage is duplicated on either side of the building,

like an extrusion of its original volume. The opaque cladding of the existing building is retained,

while the two extensions to the building have a transparent polycarbonate cladding, to heat the

space using the sun's rays.

A workshop and plants requiring little light are placed in the centre of the building, while those

requiring more sunlight are located in the two extensions.

The Gasthaus, which faces the grocery shop and restaurant building, is home to seasonal workers

in both summer and winter. During the warmer months, some of the civil servants are housed in

this former gasthaus, which has been converted into a large WG. During the cold season, some of

the seasonal workers from the Braunwald ski resort, 20 minutes away by public transport, can be

accommodated in this WG when the fields no longer require as many workers.

The building mainly requires interior work, as its facades are iconic in this village and must not be

altered.

A variety of rooms have been designed to meet different needs.

Rooms have been created on the first two floors, where the Gasthaus' communal areas used to

be. On the second floor, bathrooms have been added to the existing rooms to add quality to what

already existed. And under the magnificent wooden roof structure is the new common area of this

large WG.

In this way, a place that had been neglected over the years has been reborn in a new light, with

the arrival of a younger generation in the village, while at the same time responding to the wishes

of the inhabitants who no longer felt considered following the unification of all the villages in the

valley into one large municipality, Glarus Sud.