From the mid-nineteenth century through the 1960’s, a factory zone for machine fabrication evolved in an industrial area on the edge of Zürich. The current condition is an assemblage of buildings, an urban bricolage of construction types. With a recent change in zoning codes, increased density and new building uses are now allowed in a measure to reactivate the area.
The project is a large scale, multi-use proposal for housing, offices, and light industry in a phased planned development. The urban strategy is to maintain the existing industrial building fabric and add to it, continuing the bricolage history of the area. As few as possible old buildings will be removed, which is the first step in the sustainable development strategy.
The existing factory buildings are to be renovated with a series of public spaces, opening the industrial enclave to the city. Courtyard housing is the next phase of design.
The first completed element is an office and light industrial building occupied by Siemens. It is organized around a series of courtyards which bring light into the dense building block. Within these courtyards, an art installation utilizes a mechanized lift and landscape. The language of the building façade articulates public use program elements through color and texture.