Céline Bourban

«The common land has two specific social functions. First, the land makes it possible for people to feel comfortable outside their buildings and their private territory, and there¬fore allows them
to feel connected to the larger social system (...). And second, common land acts as a meeting place for people.»
Alexander, C.: A Pattern Language. Towns Buildings Construction. New York: Oxford University Press (1977)

Behind the faade of the building at Zentralstrasse 150 stands the idea of a social utopia from the 1980s, the remains of a social
fight against real estate speculation inspired by Hans Widmer’s successful novel. Today, Karthago is one of the symbols of Zurich’s cooperative housing history.

The building is part of a “Blockrand” consisting of 17 units. After missing the opportunity to buy the neighboring building a few years ago, it was sold to a private investor and is about to be replaced by a housing complex, whose values and principles are the antithesis of the idea of Karthago and cooperatives in general.

However, the building bordering Karthago has great potential for expansion. Its facade, having been renovated in 1965, has been redesigned according to the logic of Karthago’s facade and the two blocks, although visually separated by their respective colors, function as a large ensemble.

This already existing link thus offers a strong potential for expansion of the actual cooperative. The capacity of Karthago could therefore be increased while the existing community adapts and grows. It is in this context that I wish to list the Karthago cooperative and expand its boundaries.

My project is based on 3 principles:
1. A simple and flexible structure based on the existing raster, which allows the plan to be adapted as needed while fostering the community;
2. A space that lives through the development and occupation of the inhabitants;
3. The project as a driver of the neighborhood by creating various meeting spaces that activate the local community.

Today, the original ideals have become largely detached from the building, and its social network survives almost exclusively through the common kitchen. Although Karthago works, the new generation struggles to find comfort in this kind of configuration, which they find a bit too communal. It is a question of finding the right balance between community life and private life, a space where we can live together while keeping our privacy.
By multiplying the spaces of sharing and exchange, my project aims to reactivate and expand the community of Karthago’s inhabitants while at the same time keeping a more private space, where one can find its peace. Thus, the common spaces encourage encounters and allow the creation of a community while keeping more or less large common living spaces.

Through this project, I propose an update of this alternative way of life, an in-between, so that this kind of place continues to exist in the big cities, where it tends to disappear. This project allows us to continue experimenting with this new form of living, a community habitat adapted to the needs of its inhabitants while maintaining the possibility of affordable housing in the city center.