Description

Access:

Access to interior courtyard through gap in the building along the commercial unit; 2 stairwells with system of exterior access galleries in the outdoor space of the patio; natural light.

Interior space:

The patio space provides access and lighting and is thus the heart of the densely built apartment block. All the units feature north–south orientation and develop along the long sides of the patio, sometimes staggered vertically, varying in size and sometimes as maisonettes. Each apartment has a deep loggia, which as two floors could be interpreted as an atrium; it creates a seamless transition between the indoor and the outdoor spaces. The diversity of space within the apartments is increased further by the inclusion of two-story living spaces of various types.

Exterior space:

Loggia spaces, some of which have multiple stories, designed as deep cuts into the building volume; roof terraces.

Morphology:

A metallic frame brings together the all-glass apartments with their two-story exterior spaces and separates them from the glass floors of the base and roof levels. The unity of the porous middle section of the facade is supported by slat-like metal sunshades. The walls of the patio are designed as massive perforated facades.

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Originally published in: Peter Ebner, Eva Herrmann, Roman Höllbacher, Markus Kuntscher, Ulrike Wietzorrek, Typology +: Innovative Residential Architecture, Birkhäuser, 2009.