Meier Leder Architekten

Description

Built in solid construction, the apartment house is located at the crossroads between the old and new parts of the city, in a row alongside former mills. With its traditional stucco façade perforated by regular window openings, the building fills an existing gap in the cityscape. Staggered profiles wrapping around the corners distinguish the base level from the main storeys. This three-dimensional anchoring of the volume into the site connects it with both the historical and the modern context. The narrow volume allows for apartments to be laid out all along the east façade. The lack of corridors and the continuous fenestration make for an unexpected openness, which is further reinforced by the sweeping views far into the Limmat region opposite. On the more introverted base levels, this generous impression is achieved through rooms extending over two storeys. Depending on their location, the apartments thus alternate in feeling between an old-town and high-rise character. In analogy to the surrounding historic buildings and the solid construction, the interiors feature terrazzo floors, clay and tadelakt plaster, and carpentry work in veneered wood. The intervention thus distinguishes itself as a contemporary addition to the historical environment that enhances the atmosphere of the modern-day town.