Baumberger & Stegmeier
New-build Witikonerstrasse
best architects 22
multi-family homes
Place
Zurich, Switzerland
Studio
Photos
Jürg Zimmermann
Description
Witikon, a former farming village that belongs to
Zurich, developed into a late-modern urban district during the 1950s and 1960s. «Modern» forms of housing with a strong connection to the landscape still shape
its identity today. Volumetrically, the project is designed to follow the
contours of the terrain, forming a tiered roofscape. Despite the consolidation
on the site, the open development pattern of the verdant neighbourhood with its
generous green areas is preserved. The apartments interpret the «hall
type», which ties into the late modern context and also continues the
tradition of rural living. Via an entry foyer, one enters the central living
hall, whose lateral extensions and oblique walls establish an open centre.
Rooms arranged at an oblique angle extend the hall and yield generous diagonal
views. The floor plan typology, with its functionally neutral spaces and
sub-divisible living/dining area, increases the flexibility of use and can be
inhabited as a 4.5 or 5.5-room apartment. The outward appearance of the new buildings
alludes to the built and natural context, but at the same time forms its own
identity. The building is given a «soft» cladding of stained wood, which reinforces the concept of relating to
the landscape. A fine network of natural anodized aluminium sills and
wood/metal windows extends across the buildings, enhancing the expression of a
contemporary home.