The streetcorner is situated on a modern building consisting of two flats, located in a residential area called Zürich Wipkingen. It catches the eye with its strong contrast to the traditional typology, predominant in the quarter, as well as with its exposed location. With taking up the gabled structure and sloping roofs, it still finds a way to beautifully blend into the townscape and create a balanced but suspenseful entirety.
The base floor, which forms a solid socket for the upper floors, is made of exposed concrete, followed by two red-bricked middle floors and then the top floor which is again made of concrete.
The building is kept ‘brut’ throughout and the atmosphere is characterised by raw materials. A remarkable aspect of the realisation is how the mortar on the brick facade has not been removed in order to show the imperfection of craftsmanship and to give the masonry a textile expression.
In the basement, two incisions were made to create a covered entrance situation facing Trottenstrasse and a similar seating area facing the open garden. Together with the middle floors’ raw brickwork, which is enhanced by an elegant wood-metal construction for the wide windows, a contemporary interpretation of Architecture Brut is created.
