Im Heuried

Zurich, Switzerland

Collective Housing + Multiple Houses

Architects: spillmann echsle architekten

Year: 2023
Client: Schweizer Hagel
Team: annette spillmann, harald echsle, janek geiser, christoph heitzmann, philippe steiner, sara bauer, amelie bleibach, marion spillmann, katrin zumbrunnen

The characteristic urban morphology of the Heuried residential district in Alt-Wiedikon was established in the late 1940s post-war building boom, when perimeter developments transitioned to housing blocks, and vast green spaces emerged, providing park-like residential settings that remain a signature of this district in Zurich. The typology of this intervention, which is currently under construction, embodies an essentially linear design.

Taking up the rhythm of the urban context, its narrow side faces the street, while the structure extends far back into the park. All apartments benefit of multiple orientations in tandem with the building’s staggered massing and balconies that seamlessly integrate into the overall geometry. In order to harmonize with the lower neighboring structures, the top two floors feature a distinct color tone. Each level houses four apartments: two larger family units and two smaller ones.

Constructed with a prefabricated wood panel system, the building’s structural frame features a rigid grid of beams that support the wooden slabs, whose underside has been left exposed. The wooden construction is further highlighted by the superimposed façade which is adorned with vertically arranged, multicolored paneling.