Refurbishment and Extension of Nursing Home with Sheltered Dwellings in Dietikon
The Ruggacker nursing home in a suburb of Zurich was erected in the 1960s. In the course of refurbishing the initial orthogonal tract, which faces on to the road, a new structure was added, containing sheltered dwellings accessible to disabled people. This volume extends from the existing building into the sloping, landscaped open space to the rear. Its polygonal plan form is a response to the park-like surroundings, while at the same time efficiently exploiting the maximum permissible volume for this site. The two tracts are linked by a common dining hall on the ground floor. Although the tract with the sheltered dwellings is otherwise an independent unit with its own entrance, it profits from the infrastructure of the nursing home. Residents can use the care facilities, for example.
