House 4: Tougher than the rest. Multi-family apartment house, Zurich, Switzerland, 2017–2020
This apartment building is one of five houses that we have built or are building for GEWOBAG cooperative in the area of Fellenbergstrasse / Langgrütstrasse. The client's wish to build as many high-quality family homes as possible in the heart of Albisrieden collides violently with the harsh conditions of the border distances, which reflect almost every paragraph of the building regulations. „Form follows Law“ and „tougher than the rest“ – this is how this house could be summed up. As is so often the case, these complex requirements also present wonderful opportunities for special solutions.
In the centre of mass, the house, set back, rises up to seven full storeys. Its angular structure creates a generous exterior space for the nursery on the ground floor. Thanks to the special use of the ground floor, the house is given a public expression appropriate to its location. The brick façade wraps the sculpturally shaped building in a solid and high-quality dress. The large balcony fronts to Langgrütsstrasse allow a self-confident appearance of the residential building.
Address
Langgrütstrasse 132/134, 8047 Zurich, Switzerland
Direct order, planning and execution 2017–2021
Bauherrschaft
GEWOBAG Gewerkschaftliche Wohn- und Baugenossenschaft – Trade Union Housing and Construction Cooperative Zurich, Langgrütstrasse 140, Zurich
Spatial program
23 flats, nursery on the ground floor
Architecture
Patrick Gmür, Michael Geschwentner
Project team
Susan Held (member of the executive board), Florian Hoch (project management), Annick Zucchetti (deputy pm), Adrian Dominguez, Sandro Lenherr, Demian Haller, Attila Jung (trainee)