1/11© Roger Frei
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3/11© Roger Frei
4/11© Roger Frei
5/11© Roger Frei
6/11© Roger Frei
7/11© Hannes Henz
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Birchsteg Apartment Building
location: Zürich, Switzerland
client: Private
status: Realized
project: 2011⁠–⁠2014
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The compact plot at the end of Birchsteg footbridge borders the Zurich-Oerlikon railway bank, where high-noise reduction requirements dictated the selection of a solid construction method for a new apartment building. The single-shell, exposed concrete structure houses four residential units. Each unit spans one floor around a central core encompassing the staircase, elevator, and bathrooms.

The core further divides the radial, split-level surrounding space into an elevated living area, a sleeping quarter, and a workspace. Protruding bay windows, serving as balconies for the flats above, combined with precisely placed openings, define the external facade of this massive and rational urban structure. The existing setbacks and the two geometrically refined roof structures give the building a monolithic and sculptural expression from all sides. The dual-layered, exposed concrete pitched roof amplifies this aspect. Visually, the building merges with the materiality of the onsite concrete wall, effectively becoming an extension of this infrastructural entity.

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facts
commission: Direct
program: Residential
size: 742 m²
team: Annette Spillmann, Harald Echsle, Guillaume Chapallaz, Simone Retter, Barbara Springer
consultants: Jaeger Baumanagement GmbH; naef energietechnik; Gerber Patrick Haustechnik GmbH; Haag + Partner GmbH; Kopitsis Bauphysik; Friedlipartner AG; Basler & Hofmann AG
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