weberbrunner architekten
Renovation, conversion and extension of House B4, Zurich
best architects 24
renovation and addition
Place
Zurich, Switzerland
Studio
Photos
Beat Bühler
Description
The single-family house is part of one of the oldest sections of Witikon, an outlying neighbourhood on a panoramic south-facing slope with a view of the city of Zurich. The compact cubic building was built in 1927 in the «Heimatstil» with neoclassical architectural forms. The existing building was renovated, converted and extended on the ground floor and basement level by adding an adjoining building facing the garden. The building services were largely replaced, as were the bathrooms and the kitchen. The focus of the conversion was on preserving and upgrading the old building. The new extension is clearly distinguishable from the main volume and finds its own design expression in the formulation of the construction details. The extension systematically relates to the garden on all sides. Through preservation and expansion, the house fulfils a contemporary living standard, and the aura of the original building could be ideally combined with the new addition. The extension was built as a two-storey steel frame structure on a reinforced concrete base. The filigree and industrial character come from the use of a window system made of very slim profiles with outward-opening windows. The ground floor offers space for a generous kitchen and dining area. The continuous window façade evokes the impression of a summer house, and a terrace door opens directly onto the garden by way of a natural stone platform.