Description

The Dreieck Refurbishment in Zurich is considered a pioneer project in the effort to create affordable housing through the preservation of existing buildings.[1] The story goes back to a failed public transport concept by the City of Zurich. In the 1970s, the city purchased the 13 buildings, centrally located on Ankerstrasse, Zweierstrasse, and Gartenhofstrasse and in a state of complete dilapidation, to make way for construction of a rapidtransit railway and subway. However, a subsequent referendum rejected the project and left the city sitting on poorly maintained properties that were ripe for demolition.[2] In a years-long process, the existing residents of the 13 buildings vigorously resisted demolition through various means of protest, campaigning for the buildings’ preservation, and in 1997 the residents succeeded in leasing the property from the city for a 60-year period.[3] Initially, the developer was the Foundation for the Building of Affordable Housing without Public Funding (Stiftung zum Bau billiger Wohnungen ohne öffentliche Beiträge). After only a few years of operation, the Dreieck Cooperative (Genossenschaft Dreieck) was founded and remains responsible for the project to this day. The high level of tenant involvement during the planning and execution phase of refurbishment has continued, and remains the foundation for the success of the Dreieck Refurbishment.

The buildings were initially restored in order of urgency and then gently renovated. The existing building fabric, primarily built between 1870 and 1890, proved to be extremely robust and fundamentally worthy of being preserved. Nevertheless, two of the buildings had to be replaced by new structures due to the danger of collapse.[4] A total of 58 apartments were built, complemented by a common room with kitchen, a central launderette, a guest apartment, various rooftop terraces, and shared outdoor space in the courtyard, including a garden, playground, and seating. A business concept was also conceptualized in order to preserve the mix of residential use, small businesses, and neighborhood shops.[5] This has created a lively quarter that will continue to evolve and develop through the recent acquisition of four more buildings.[6]

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Originally published in: Susanne Schmid, Dietmar Eberle, Margrit Hugentobler (eds.), A History of Collective Living. Forms of Shared Housing, Birkhäuser, 2019. Translation by Word Up!, LLC, edited for Building Types Online.