Description

The housing and commercial development at Kalkbreite is located at an important position between two quarters in the heart of Zurich. The building incorporates a covered tram depot belonging to Zurich’s public transport corporation on the ground floor and has a 2,500m² large roof terrace that can be used by the residents and the public as a place for recreation. A central aim of the project was to create an ecologically sound and socially balanced environment. The residents and tenants of the commercial spaces therefore endeavour to minimise their ecological footprint and try to be modest in their everyday needs. For example, the residents do not own private cars and those who work in the businesses at Kalkbreite travel to work using public transport.

The building’s architecture and service-oriented organisational structure likewise provide a strong basis for sustainable ways of life and personal initiative. The complex contains a wide range of different apartment sizes from miniature apartments to large shared apartments and can therefore accommodate different living constellations. Spaces and activities that may only be required at certain times in life are separated off and can be rented for use as workspaces, additional living space, guest rooms or larger kitchens. As a result, the space requirement per person has been reduced to 32.6m², much lower than the Swiss average of 45m² per person. The internal staircases begin in a communal entrance lobby and link the small apartments and communal spaces on the different floors to the roof terraces. These are additionally linked to one another via short flights of steps, creating a circuit that leads around the entire building and into the large communal courtyard at the heart of the complex. Thanks to its location in the city, its physical presence and the mix of well-connected functions, Kalkbreite has developed into a vibrant community-oriented living and working environment.

A group of nearly 50 local residents and professionals took part in a public workshop to develop design ideas for an inner-city site with development potential. An association was then founded, the Verein Kalkbreite, with the aim of transferring the site into a communal trust, a process that took 18 months. The project was developed as a collaborative venture between the City of Zurich, Zurich’s public transport corporation and the Karthago and Dreieck co-op associations and involved an extensive participative process. The intention was to bring together different forms of housing and a vibrant mix of different shops and offices to create a new urban centre with good ecological and social credentials. From spring 2013 onwards – approximately a year before initial occupancy – the residents and local businesses began to meet regularly to discuss the running of the complex. A communal board was formed that holds a monthly planning and decision-making forum to discuss social, cultural and political initiatives as well as to ascertain and decide on budget, construction and maintenance questions.

The co-op association applied to develop the 6,350m² large Kalkbreite site, which has been used as a tram depot since the 19th century. The site belongs to the City of Zurich, who granted the cooperative building and usage rights until 2070. The project began with the founding of the Kalkbreite Association in 2006. A year later, in 2007, it was converted into a co-op association and awarded building rights for the site. A participative project development process began in cooperation with the City of Zurich, Zurich’s public transport corporation and other partners, and an open architecture competition was held in 2009, with detailed planning and urban design following in 2010. Construction took place from 2012 to 2014 and the first residents moved in between April and August 2014.

Building and usage rights for the site have been contractually agreed with the City of Zurich until 2070, and the co-op association is subject to financial monitoring by the city. The conferring of building rights enabled banks and financial institutions to provide loans to cover the investment costs. The co-op association needed to provide 6% of the overall costs, which is financed by financial contributions from the members of the co-op association as well as loans and deposits. All of the residents are members of the co-op association and must make a compulsory financial contribution that is refundable should the resident leave the co-op association. The rent only covers the cost of operating the building and is therefore non-profit oriented. Like any normal rental housing, the residents pay a monthly rent plus heating and ancillary costs in addition to their initial financial contribution.

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Originally published in: Annette Becker, Laura Kienbaum, Kristien Ring, Peter Cachola Schmal, Bauen und Wohnen in Gemeinschaft / Building and Living in Communities, Birkhäuser, 2015.