2006, Paul-Clairmont-Strasse, Zurich, 1st prize

PCS Fassade Gerog Aerni
PC Ortho

The balcony, reinvented. Building for the cooperative.
Housing development Paul Clairmont street, Zurich, Switzerland, 2003–2006

The elongated building, staggered in height, reflects the terrain and the different scales of the surroundings. The staircases of the three- to seven-storey parts of the building are connected on the entrance floor by a rue intérieure (a large, long corridor) and jointly accessed via a representative main entrance. Encounter and exchange are very important in the building.

PCS Nacht
IMG 5671 1
PCS Vorderansicht
PCS Vorderansicht Ateliers

A self-supporting balcony layer is located in front of the building on the south-west side. The shifted arrangement of the balconies creates two-storey areas that allow daylight to penetrate far into the apartments. The room-sized balcony is enclosed by a parapet as tall as a man, giving it the character of a private patio. Accentuated openings move the immediate surroundings into a pleasant distance and lend the conventionally organised apartments a specific identity.

PCS Balkone
PCS Wohnung 2
PCS Balkon Nacht
PCS Kuche 2
PCS Kuche
PCS Rue interieur
PCS Wohnung innen
PCS EG Umgebung v3
The balcony, reinvented. Building for the cooperative. Housing development Paul Clairmont street, Zurich, 2003–2006. Ground floor plan. 
PC Grundrisse
The balcony, reinvented. Building for the cooperative. Housing development Paul Clairmont street, Zurich, 2003–2006. Upper floor plans, apartments in the 2nd and 3d floor. 
PCS Wohnungsgrundriss v2
The balcony, reinvented. Building for the cooperative. Housing development Paul Clairmont street, Zurich, 2003–2006. Two furnished apartment floor plans. The two main types. Alternation!

Address
Birmensdorferstrasse 467, in 8055 Zurich, Switzerland

Project competition by invitation 2000, planning application 2002, execution 2003–2006

Ownership/ builder
Baugenossenschaft Rotach – building cooperative

Room program
49 apartments, kindergarden, ateliers

Architecture
Patrick Gmür, Jakob Steib

Collaboration
Michael Geschwentner, Nicole Deiss, Barbara Ruppeiner

Public-space art (inside the building/ rue intérieure)
Georg Aerni, photographer, Zurich

Award for Good Buildings in the Canton of Zurich 2006

PCS Balkon 2