Oliver Zbinden

Like shop windows, the large openings of the former „Kantine Binzmühle” shine onto Max Bill Platz. Dancers can be seen through the bottom left window and above, silhouettes show people eating in what used to be, and now has become again, the Kantine. A wide inviting staircase leads me between the rough wallslabs into the Volkshaus „Roter Ochsen“. Inside, an internal street opens up, where various groups are gathering. At the moment, an improv theatre session is taking place in the Veranstaltungsraum and further back, I hear children playing. An orchestra rehearsal has just ended and people are heading out to grab a beer in the café. Two staircases lead to the upper floor, where the people are still eating in the Kantine. The wide staircase leads even further up to a roof garden, which is surrounded by municipal housing equipped with shared kitchens.

This daydream depicts the possible future life of the Roter Ochsen in Oerlikon.

The former Kantine was designed by Ernst Messerer for Brown Boveri (BBC) in 1971. In an area dedicated to factories and industrial work, it was the only building that provided a space entirely for humans and social interaction. Every day, over 3000 workers ate their meals here. In an homage to its original red façade, the building was nicknamed the „Rote Ochse».

Today, the building is threatened with demolition, as the Sonderbauvorschriften of Neu Oerlikon demand the construction of a 45m high residential tower on the property. In order to fight for the preservation of the Kantine, Silvan Muff and I presented our research to many of the building’s stakeholders, including the Denkmalpflege and the Quartierverein. We also created poster campaigns, an Instagram account and Wikipedia entry to bring like-minded people together and launch a public discussion about the future of the building.

The project shows an alternative to the planned Ersatzneubau and places the existing building under monument protection. By extending and developing the monument, I have proved that the proportion of living space envisaged in the Sonderbauvorschriften can also be achieved with the preservation of the existing building. In order to protect scarce resources, retaining the existing structure is essential and new materials are only introduced where necessary. The Rote Ochse proposes an island of communal spaces in a neighborhood that has so far neglected the human aspect of living. A private building thus becomes a public building.