The need for densification is an opportunity to revisit the volumetric and spatial layout of the neighbourhood. The project is looking for an implant which can meet the needs of a diverse society, composed of all age groups, without losing the intrinsic qualities that, from its construction in the late ‘40s, determine the character of the “Gartensiedlung”.
Zurich’s green neighbourhoods are a precious heritage for the whole city, they represent an area of passage between the limits of the densely built area and the natural region closest to the urbanized area. The Gartenstadt offers great spatial qualities, tranquility, open spaces and nature, without being too far away from the city centre.
In the constantly evolving city fabric the first step for a new intervention is to create a link with its surroundings: a stitching work that aims to create a volumetric system capable of accompanying the transition from a point fabric system (consisting of small single-family buildings) to larger scale one, which develop as the city evolves.
To ensure identity, unity and continuity in the urban development of the entire area, was taken as inspiration the concept of the beehive, which recalls an exemplary type of community life and suggests a precise spatial scheme. Starting from basic geometric shapes, the volumes have been deformed to be inserted in the basic system, thus obtaining buildings with multiple faces. These units are composed to form a sequence where the balconies are the unifying element. A fluidity of the open spaces is gained thanks to these continuous but transparent elements.
