Lerchenhalde Cooperative Housing Development

Competition 1st prize – To the north of the ETH Hönggerberg the cooperatives Hagenbrünneli and Turicum are together planning a housing development consisting of around one hundred apartments for students, families, and elderly people. The three new buildings are precisely integrated in the existing settlement pattern of the district, while at the same time strengthening the valuable landscape space.

The positioning of the three volumes is oriented on Lerchenberg cooperative housing development from the 1970s that has the qualities of a garden city. Despite their high density the new buildings preserve the permeable structure of the development: they continue the landscape concept with the flowing green areas and connect Neugut, a park-like open space that slopes down to the north-east, with the district. At the same time, the edge of the slope that terminates the development is strengthened.

As they are staggered, the deep, compact volumes enjoy good natural lighting. The apartments face east or west towards the daylight and the landscape. Living-dining rooms that continue around a corner with corner loggias that project beyond the plane of the facade emphasise the orientation towards the sun and the open space.

The tall ground floors and the outdoor spaces associated with them form places of arrival facing towards Lerchenhalde and create clear addresses. In the interior the generously dimensioned, centrally positioned entrance halls provide transparency and easy orientation. Public functions such as a café and a kindergarten introduce life into the district, while communal rooms encourage contacts between the tenants.

The visual quality of the buildings reflects the demands on contemporary housing and the special attention devoted to an environmentally friendly construction method that makes economic use of resources, flexible layout of spaces, efficient use of floor area, and low running and maintenance costs. The basement, ground floor and the staircase cores are built of reinforced concrete, while the residential floors above are timber built. The facade consists of closed vertical fir boarding; it is articulated by horizonal cornices at the level of each floor slab and is protected and terminated by the deep projecting roof.

https://www.fischer-architekten.ch/en/projects/lerchenhalde-housing-development-zurich