Review 2020.4 – Living in the garden
Whether fabulous winter sceneries or the lush greenery of the warmer seasons – the residents of the two new apartment buildings in Zurich’s Südstrasse can experience an immediate, direct connection with nature that is rare in today’s urban housing. Circumferential ribbon windows in all flats provide an all-round view of the extensive garden that surrounds the buildings. They are the key design element that characterised the project by Esch Sintzel Architekten from the conception in the won competition to the careful formulation in realisation. We consider the result to be very impressive.
The two pavilion-like apartment buildings with their eye-catching, rhombic footprints contain a total of 14 flats. Contrary to the usual building trend, they are oriented transversely to the slope – once again, the focus on the green surroundings characterised the design. This premise was also followed by the structural design by Lüchinger+Meyer, which primarily aimed to free the façade fronts from load-bearing elements and to generate the greatest possible openness inside the building, allowing for wide views. A short film on the architects’ project page provides an opportunity to experience the special spatial quality of the flats.
(Photos: Georg Aerni)
