Residential Housing Tièchestrasse Zurich

The plot in Zurich is located on an incline with a great view of Zurich to the south and a noisy road – the Tièchestrasse – to the north. Family gardens and the local recreation area Käferberg border the road. About 75 cooperative apartments are to be built on the greater part of the grounds, extending over a total area of 17,700 square metres. The remaining area is earmarked for a separately built block of approximately 30 freehold apartments. An area of 1,500 square metres is additionally reserved for inventoried meadowland to make up for the built-up space.

The urban development solution envisages continuity with the city on the one hand, and dissolution for the sake of significant relations to the landscape on the other. Two linear elongated bodies form an interesting spatial sequence of structures and open space. The first long cooperative building follows the topographical elevation. Set back from the gentle curve of the road, a green area is created at the other end of which the house emerges from the slope. The meadowland area in between functions as a spacious landscaped connection between the buildings and ensures a continuation of the green spaces of the residential area with gardens and the Käferberg. The second house, containing the freehold apartments, is set slightly askew on the ridge. Like the other building, this is a compact volume perforated with loggias and terraces to the south.

Both buildings are slightly stepped and shaped by the topography, access routes and the road. The cooperative part is staggered parallel to the ascent of the road. The lower slope level contains communal areas such as hobby rooms, bike parking spaces and day nurseries as well as a projecting covered residents’ meeting area. Graduation and horizontal displacement in the internal organisation allow the creation of different accommodation types. All bedrooms face the south and have access to a continuous balcony layer. The four-storey freehold part is developed linearly on the elevation and accessed horizontally via bridges. A living and dining area facing both sides is a central spatial element. This is extra high towards the north and enclosed by a loggia towards the south. The dark-painted rough-sawn wooden facade is an interwoven arrangement of vertical and horizontal elements characterised by a varied interplay. This interweaving allows the ensemble – composed of many individual units – to appear as a single entity, while at the same time imparting it with a kind of lightness. A high standard of thermal insulation is achieved by the combination of a wood construction, an inner load-bearing concrete structure and a compact wall design.