Renovation of Multi-Family House in Elisabethenstrasse

Zürich, Switzerland

Photo © Beat Bühler

Collective Housing + Multiple Houses

Architects: Bob Gysin Partner

Location: Elisabethenstrasse 9, 8004 Zürich, Switzerland
Year: 2023
Client: Stiftung Bauen und Wohnen SWB
Construction Management: HSSP, Zurich
Civil Engineer: Basler & Hofmann, Zurich
Electrical Engineer: Thomas Lüem Partner, Dietikon
Building Technology: BSP Energie, Zurich
Energy and Sustainability: EK Energiekonzepte, Zurich
Fire protection Planner: FireLife GmbH

The seven-storey building, which is adjacent to the Wiedikon tram depot, was constructed in 1896 and was in great need of renovation. As the building is on the municipal inventory, the project is being developed in close cooperation with the monument preservation authorities. Externally, the potential of the firewall and the courtyard façade will be exploited in terms of design, urban climate and living space expansion. A bay window/loggia construction extends the usable space to the courtyard, while the firewall is restructured with windows and a vertical green façade. The floor plan structure consists of a sequence of small but well-furnished "room chambers". The internal structural qualities of the building are preserved and only the wet rooms and kitchens are comprehensively refurbished.

A great deal of added value is achieved with small interventions, in order to create high-quality and affordable flats that cover different needs and can be transformed over time without structural interventions.