Hall houses in Winterthur
The former supermarket in the Rosenberg residential area in Winterthur was vacant for a number of years after a shopping center had opened in its vicinity. The building code only offered little flexibility for floor area increase and use conversion of the flat roof commercial building completed in 1961 into a multi-family residential structure. Despite this fact, the architects and their project developer subsidiary DN2M created five housing units with 140 to 180 m² within the existing building envelope and a setback rooftop addition comprised of prefabricated wood panel construction. Viewed from the exterior, it resembles a compact, simple form; but in its interior, the building features a complex structure of spaces. The former sales floor with its clear room height of four meters constitutes the central kitchen, dining, and living space of each unit. Rooms surround it in a split-level system. To achieve required ceiling heights, the floor slab was partially removed and new intermediate ceiling slabs were inserted. Each housing unit covers five levels and features a private roof terrace as well as a small front yard with sitting area. Since vestibules have been omitted, the entrance door leads directly into the living room hall as the central place of each house. Glazed apertures connect it with the individual rooms, each covering only 14 m², and the views they offer contribute to a unique spatial quality. The building envelope was renovated and insulated according to Minergy minimum energy requirements. The existing reinforced concrete and brick facades are clad in a thermal insulation composite system. The brushed render features a metallic glaze finish. On the rooftop level, the facade received a coarse render surface and windows are interior flush mount, subtly differentiating the building envelope.
