James housing and commercial development - a pioneer. Zurich, Switzerland, 2004–2007
These days, more than ten years after its completion, the James development is a vibrant part of the city – which it wasn't before. Almost twenty years ago, the 22’500 m2 site of LUWA Zellweger company was regarded as no man's land on the outskirts of Zurich. What a delight that our urban planning approach has proven to be so future-oriented.
Our design idea was simple: Three different structures should create nuanced outdoor spaces and address as many target groups as possible - families, singles, DINKs (double income - no kids), golden agers, but also young people looking for a room in a shared flat. The total of 283 apartments and 72 apartment types are distributed among 108 in the longhouse, 99 in the corner house and 76 in the high-rise.
A walk through the area shows a vibrant neighbourhood. Various small-scale businesses enliven the urban level.
The badminton hall and the boulder hall are two public institutions that have found a home here, ensuring that James is firmly anchored in the city
Address
Flüelastrasse 21–27, 29, 31a–d, Anemonenstrasse 40 a–h, in 8047 Zurich, Switzerland
Study contract by invitation 2001 (two-stage procedure)
Ownership/ builder
Turintra AG c/o UBS Fund Management (Switzerland) AG
Spatial program
283 apartments, 6’400 m2 commercial
Architecture
Patrick Gmür
Project team
Michael Geschwentner (project management), Sven Fricker, Verena Jacob, Roland Frei, Isabel Bernhard (Huber), Lisa Obertausch, Silke Ebner, Susana Elias, Anette Höller, Roger Naegeli, Steffi Zgraggen, Alessandra Boggia, Sybille Besson, Julia Lang, Sonja Strickmann, Tina Ringelmann, Susanne Bartholomé, Carla Nocera, Thomas Taufer, Andreas Weiz, Barbara Ott, Jule Eppler, Sabine Herzog, Andrea Epper, Louise Tusch, Patrick Krecl, Peter Roesch