Wooden facade apartment houses Buchegg, Zürich

The project
Attractive cooperative apartments with more living space were built on the highly frequented Bucheggplatz. Thanks to an increased utilization rate and revised building regulations, the buildings are larger and higher than their predecessors. Rooms such as kitchens, dining rooms and staircases face the street. Thus, the private living rooms and bedrooms are better protected from noise. The floor plan is chosen in such a way that frontal views into the opposite apartments are avoided. Towards the south, the apartments open onto a spacious inner courtyard, which is optimally protected from street noise.

The construction
The basement and basement level are built in solid construction. The floors above are also built in solid construction except for the outer wall. The exterior building envelope is made of wooden elements. It was erected floor by floor together with the solid construction and thus serves as face shuttering for the concrete floors. This saves time and reduces the cost of scaffolding.

The challenge
The facade is characterized by the gradation shown to the outside, defined in three levels, and the windows, which are also staggered in depth. The waterproofing of the facade was therefore also the big challenge, bringing together, sealing and cladding the stepped facade levels.