Apartments for the elderly, Köschenrüti, Zürich

Living at 60+

The new development is situated in predominantly rural surroundings in the district of Zürich-Seebach. The site layout respects the scale and orientation of the urban structures of the neighbourhood thus giving the site a new identity while mediating between urban and rural space.

The architectural design also mediates between the different needs of individual residents. A clear division into public and private zones guarantees privacy and places to retreat to, while also providing opportunities for people to meet and enabling a social mixture of occupants. The ground floor accommodates care services such as Spitex and communal rooms; it also provides an attractive entrance area leading to the vertical circulation. The many different apartments suitable for elderly residents on the upper floors are accessed via a communicative multifunctional zone with natural lighting and a highly comfortable, welcoming atmosphere; the technical systems are bundled in a compact services core. Notwithstanding its tight budgetary constraints, the development meets the stringent ecological and energy-saving criteria stipulated by the Minergie-ECO label.

Credit

Open design competition, 1st Prize 2007 for senior citizens units
Construction sum: CHF 30 mn
Client: SAW Stiftung Alterswohnungen der Stadt Zürich
Architect and project coordinator: Bob Gysin Partner BGP Architekten ETH SIA BSA
Landscape architect: Raderschall Partner, Meilen
Building services engineer: 3-Plan AG, Winterthur
Structural engineer: Suisseplan AG, Zürich
Building physics: EK Energiekonzepte AG, Zürich
Geologist: Dr. Heinrich Jäckli AG, Zürich
Building management: b+p baurealisation AG, Zürich
Photos: Dominique Marc Wehrli, Winterthur

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