Apartment House Zürich-Höngg

Zürich-Höngg, Switzerland

Photo © R. Rötheli

Collective Housing + Multiple Houses

Architects: Kämpfen Zinke + Partner AG

Location: Zürich-Höngg, Switzerland
Year: 2011

The external appearance of the building, seemingly a simple, almost cuboid construction, conceals three apartments that are complexly built into each other. Each apartment has two storeys and two different private outdoor spaces. The building is a highly insulated timber construction, is, however, clad both internally and externally: the apartment interiors are modern and stylish; the exterior is clad in red Eternit panels and anthracite-coloured steel. The vacuum tube solar thermal collectors define the space of the loggias and help create different qualities of light. Almost as a secondary function these thermal collectors produce, together with a geothermal heat pump, the heating energy necessary for the building. The roof is fully clad in photovoltaics, which provide all the electricity required by the building.