Description

Urban context

Next to an important arterial road at the foot of Üetliberg, on a lot measuring
three thousand square meters located on a complex slope rising to the south, an
apartment building with compact volumes was constructed. The interlocking of
apartments of four different sizes makes it possible for every unit to benefit
from a view to the north over the city and from the southern transition into the
countryside. The solitary building takes up themes of communal living such as
the common building entrance and the two-story access hall, from whose upper
level four apartment doors lead into private spaces.

Ground-floor zone

The property is accessed from the street to the north. The house is set back from
the street and has a broad driveway in front of it. A short open stairway leads
to the inconspicuously designed and almost hidden front door. Because of the
sloping site, from the terrain in the garden area in back one enters a floor
higher than from the side facing the city, so that a public and a private side
result quite naturally. The polygonal geometry creates garden areas that are
turned away from each other without having to parcel the exterior by any other
measures. Three of the apartments have ground-level access to this garden in
back.

Building structure

The clear cube is surprising for the unconventional, complex organization of its
interior. A two-story entrance area provides access to all four units, each of
which has one to three floors reached via interior stairs. Basically, two duplex
and two top-floor apartments are interlocked in a way to exploit fully a
building with the potential to offer views on four sides. The open floor plans
of the four units dispense with classical corridors in favor of a path through
the unit. It results in a tour in which no clear function can be assigned to the
individual rooms. The blurring of boundaries between serving and served spaces
is expressed not only by the lack of corridors but also by the interior
staircases, which mute into atmospheric spatial forms thanks to their
materiality and the lighting.

Facade

The most striking feature of the facade is the differentiated treatment of the
window openings on the north and south side. To an outsider looking from the
street, the building looks hermetically sealed, despite the extensive glazing.
Only on closer inspection will the entrance be discovered, hiding behind a
concealed door. The smooth facade has hardly any threshold-like spatial
transitions. Eyes looking up will see little of life inside, whereas all of the
residents can enjoy a panorama of the city from their central living rooms. The
sea of houses of the spreading city are framed like an enchanting painting.

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Originally published in: Ulrike Wietzorrek, Housing+: On Thresholds, Transitions, and Transparencies, Birkhäuser, 2014.