Michael Meier und Marius Hug Architekten

Description

In the shadow of the Zürichberg hill, the former villages of the Glatttal are merging into a single urban area. Traffic flows sluggishly, whilst the Glatt River meanders gently. This is also the case in Dübendorf with the Lerchenfeld development. Not far from the town centre, two angular building blocks that open to the south are replacing a post-war housing estate characterised by uniform rows of houses and green spaces. Completed in 2024, the buildings were precisely positioned to create two spacious courtyards that break with the monotony of the suburbs. The carefully structured apartment blocks have a raised ground floor facing the street and garden access towards the lushly landscaped courtyard, offering the benefits of rural living. Delicate balcony towers and vertical windows emphasise the verticality of urban construction. The staircases, which serve multiple units, sit like joints between the building sections. The flats are entered through an entrance hall that connects the night area with the day area. The latter is partitioned into living and dining spaces by a corner loggia. Thanks to its angled, sculptural volumes with typological diversity, Lerchenfeld resembles an organically grown, open perimeter block development. This urban typology establishes spatial connections beyond the boundaries of its own plot and is committed to the shared urban development of the Glatttal, without abandoning its rural roots.