Michael Meier und Marius Hug Architekten

Description

Where farm machinery once hummed, the sound of construction cranes has prevailed in recent years. Thanks to its proximity to Zurich and its views of the forests and the Alps, Witikon is highly popular and grew from a farming village into a suburban neighbourhood in the post-war period. Consequently, there has been a flurry of building activity. On one of the last undeveloped plots, situated directly on the edge of the forest, a linear building has been constructed, shaped by the topography and views, whose 27 flats were occupied in 2025. By staggering the building’s height in three volumes, it integrates itself into the hillside location. Projections and recesses facing east and west not only frame the outdoor space into entrances and gardens but also allow the diagonally offset flats to benefit from views of the forest and mountains. Towards Buchholzstrasse, a building front is created as an urban response to the street space, making the building legible not merely as a terraced development but as a form that responds to its surroundings on all sides. Double-flight staircases, serving two or three units, lead centrally into the flats. An entrance hall connects the east-facing night area with the west-facing day area. The kitchen and living room open directly onto a spacious balcony. From here, one can enjoy the view, no longer with the whirring of construction machinery but with the humming of busy bees.