Housing Projects

Frauentalweg flats in Zürich

Every flat enjoys the benefits of a splendid view in three directions. The open east-west direction with a view of the Uetliberg mountain and the city is superposed by the introverted intermediate court situation. These semi-private outdoor areas not only liven up the stringent arrangement of the building volumes, but can also be considered as visual extensions of the living areas. The elegant, stretched building units are provided with large glazed surfaces on three sides. The solid northern facade accommodates the staircase, the lift and the service rooms and technical installations.

The living rooms of the flats offer an impressive view of the mountains, the city and the lake towards the east. The basement pushed underneath the building allows the natural slope inclination to be utilised and emphasised so that the building floats placidly above its green environment. On the western side, the apartments benefit from an optimal exposure to the sunlight. All the flats also have attractive balconies which underscore the qualities of the new settlement.

Zürich-Heuried development

Urban development

The overall situation shows heterogeneity whose logic can no longer be understood consistently on the basis of the context. It is rather a collection of autonomous units that live their own lives: Insular neighbourhoods with their own character and their own social structure. The existing row design cannot be retained due to the desirable strong compaction of the new settlement. This would otherwise result in narrow outdoor areas that cease to flow. Instead, the row-like settlement pattern is transformed into an insular design with weighted, identity-inducing outdoor areas: Three houses together form a group whose shared court offers centralised access from the street.

Clear area

The morphology of clear areas and building structures forms a continuous overall entity. The open and consistently semi-public spatial system creates an urban, neighbourhood-like quality. Orientation all around allows deep insights. Living areas merge the buildings into groups with their own identity.

Public – private

The existing park on Friesenbergstrasse next to the Uetliberg mountain railway station becomes a public neighbourhood park. Each court forms a semi-public sphere. The analogy with a village square is intended: It unites the building entrances and allows communicative community life with meeting places and play areas as well as increased social security. The courts become a centralised location with their own individual subjects. The privateness of the flats is optimised by the staggered arrangement of the buildings. The apartments can develop a continuous transition between the inside and the outside by means of winter gardens and loggias without violating the private sphere inside.

Housing projects in Zürich

Various housing projects in and around Zürich.