Tower Housing Block in Winterthur
- Frank Kaltenbach
This four-storey dwelling block was built in a rear courtyard situation in a housing district of Winterthur. With its rough exposed concrete construction and storey-height glazing grid, the tower has more the appearance of an office or commercial building. The steel facade of this hybrid structure makes reference to a nearby Sulzer site - one of the largest former industrial areas in Switzerland - and the exposed concrete also reflects an industrial loft typology. At the same time, the minimalist concept allowed considerable savings to be made compared with usual Swiss housing standards. Despite the restricted site area, the architects have attempted to create spacious dwellings with unconventional 70 m² layouts by placing the supporting columns externally and organizing internal access not via hallways, but by circulation from room to room along the facade around a services block, with installations for the bathroom on the north side and for the kitchen, dining and living areas to the south.
