Laura Di Nardo & Marlene Metzler

Both the location of the building line and the planned extension of Max Frisch Square already imply the future demolition of the Axa Gemini building. After an analysis and observation of the building (30A Density of Memory), we believe in its historical and cultural value and propose an alternative approach with a reinterpretation of the building regulations. Emphasizing the seemingly random position of the building line, we show what happens when the non-existence of the part facing the square is complied without tearing it down (160A Regulations). By shutting it down and leaving it empty, it becomes a “ghost”.

In a city with a low vacancy rate and a history of squatting like Zurich, empty buildings are expected to be squatted. Opening a building for this not only addresses the housing shortage in Zurich, but also brings up the question of how we dwell. We believe that an area like Neu-Oerlikon could profit from an alternatively used space from which the potential for exchange and innovation emerges. (67A Embracing the Unpredictable)

In the existing, the building line becomes the interface between the two areas. This wall, acting as an interior façade, offers not only access to services, such as electricity, but also opportunities for interaction.
On the other side are atelier spaces, which are accompanied by apartments in the top-up and extension. The living typologies range from 2.5 room apartments to clusters of 8 rooms and each one takes up the topic of the functional wall as well as characteristics of the existing building like bay windows and the volumetric language of the ground floor. By connecting the new parts to the old through outdoor spaces and circulation routes along with the joined structures, the buildings begin to melt together. (37A Interwoven Buildings)