Page 93 - AIT0318_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Holzer Kobler, CH-Zürich
Dachaufsicht • Roof Top plan
Grundriss 4. OG • 4th floor plan
Grundriss 3. OG • 3rd floor plan
Grundriss 2. OG • 2nd floor plan
Grundriss 1. OG • 1st floor plan
Grundriss EG • Ground floor plan
Lageplan • Site plan
Längsschnitt • Longitudinal section the Swiss luxury works!
Bauherr • Client privat
Standort • Location Elisabethenstrasse 4, CH-Zürich
Nutzfläche • Floor space 1.060 m 2 (inkl. 1. + 2. UG)
Foto: Mara Truog
Fotos • Photos Radek Brunecky, CH-Zürich
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 144
RESIDENTIAL HOUSE ELLI
IN ZURICH
The ELLI project in Zurich is to provide important impe-
tus for the general discussion on contemporary urban
forms of housing. On a base area of only five by ten
metres, Holzer Kobler Architekturen implemented a five-
storey residential building with two basement levels as
a high-level prototype for cost-effective, individual and
inner-city densification - without any sacrifice.
T he slender, tall new building nestles inconspicuously against the
adjoining residential building. On a formerly commercial court-
yard, prefabricated concrete elements form the shell of a single-family
house whose longitudinal walls are completely closed except for the
entrance door. The front sides are each fully glazed to ensure opti-
mum light conditions throughout the ten-metre deep floor plans. Red
curtains at the floor-level windows allow for retreat and privacy, but
also play with a theatrical staging of everyday life, both towards the
inside and the outside. As on the outside, the interior is dominated by
the aesthetics of concrete as a building material: The shell construc-
tion is the same as the interior finishing and supports the idea of gen-
erating affordable rents through cost-effective planning and construc-
tion - particularly important, especially for Zurich! However, it was not
only the absence of plastered walls and an elaborate interior fit-out
that contributed to keeping the construction costs low, but also the
fact that no elevator was provided for the five floors breaks with the
usual conventions. Luxury is not created in terms of comfort, but
rather in the maximum use of space, which is all the more valuable
due to its small footprint. The only thing that reduces the individual
floor areas is the skilfully staged staircase with the sculptural black
steel banisters. A room is assigned to each floor: the first three floors
are used for sleeping - with each bedroom having its own bathroom
- and the upper two floors are reserved for living and eating. Here,
daylight and the view become part of the spatial presentation. The
way to the top floor becomes an experience thanks to the staircase
sculpture that winds through the house, culminating in a breath-
taking view of the mountains from the roof terrace. Another form of
luxury is flexibility: the ground floor can also be used as a granny flat
with a kitchenette and a separate entrance, while the two basement
levels, which extend underneath the entire courtyard area, serve as
room reserves for the new and the neighbouring building. That's how
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