Penzel Valier

Description

The new residential and commercial building is centrally located in Zurich’s District 4, at the corner of Langstrasse and Brauerstrasse. The new building occupies a prominent place in the context of the legendary «Chreis Cheib» district, which is in a state of transformation. Large- and small-scale changes contribute to the development in the area, creating new identities and places.

The structure is integrated into the existing perimeter block development and thus completes the corner of Langstrasse and Brauerstrasse. The restaurant on the ground floor is accessed from Langstrasse, with the main entrance on the corner, a locally typical entrance situation. The entrance to the main staircase for the apartments is instead set back and away from the dense traffic. All interior staircase surfaces were executed in exposed concrete. The building offers office space on the first floor and rental apartments on the upper floors. The façade of engineering brick in combination with precast concrete elements, the wood-metal windows made of anodised aluminum, and the aluminum cladding of the pitched roof result in a subdued overall appearance, which alternates between different shades of grey depending on weather and light. The seamless brick façade with its large mortar joints and the plasticity of the projecting and receding precast concrete elements together create a subtle, both rough and fine overall expression.