Geibelstrasse Housing Complex

The new building fills the intersection of Geibelstrasse and Scheffelstrasse like its predecessor, yet it has a freestanding character. The stretches of facade along both streets have similar dimensions, which also recalls the prismatic form of the previously existing building. Additional volume is created by a slender building section that is set back from the street and projects into the green space. The building’s exterior is further calibrated by a notch to the southeast, which ensures good lighting conditions in the apartments and also provides the space needed to preserve a large cedar tree.
Each typical floor has three dwelling units: one 2-room apartment, one 3-room apartment, and one 4-room apartment. Their outdoor spaces are consistently positioned at the corners of the building. At the penthouse level, there are just two dwellings: a 2-room apartment and a 4-room apartment. A distinctive element in all apartments are the windows, whose folded configuration projects either outward or inward. Combined with the doors, the inwardly folded windows regulate the transitions between rooms. Thanks to their positioning, the majority of the rooms open up at their corners to reveal interesting views toward or along the streets or into the garden. At the same time, the interior spaces are well protected from unwanted views and offer sufficient wall space for furnishing.
The exteriors were executed with two different plaster finishes: a fine plaster that surrounds the windows like an embrasure and also creates two narrow bands stretching around the building, reminiscent of the cornice moldings typical of the area, and a coarser plaster that covers the fields in between. Thus the building as a whole has a restrained appearance that serenely fits into the very homogeneous built fabric of the Wipkingen neighborhood. The boundaries between the property and the public space of the street are, as typical for the area, defined with low walls, hedge plantings, and garden gates.

Study, 2013, 1. prize

Construction 2014–2017