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Apartment & Comercial Building A-Park
Albisriederstrasse 334-346, Zürich
2003 - 2008
In
2003 Baumann Roserens architects won the competition for a residential
and commercial building in Albisrieden. The site for this project is
located just outside
the historic village center. To the east of this project is located the Albisriederhaus, built by Karl Egender and Wilhelm Müller in 1934, to the north we find
the picturesque former mill. The alignment with the Albisriederhaus results in the expansion of the street space, creating some kind of forecourt which gives
access to all public facilities. Together with the existing Albisriederhaus and the nearby post office, the new construction generates an urban character
along the Albisriederstrasse. The courtyard to the rear makes obvious the contrast between urban facilities and rural environment. Facing the road,
the building has the appearance of a perimeter block development, within the courtyard the building shows its U-shaped layout and opens out
onto a meadow and the mentioned mill. On this side, facing away from the city, the private entrances to the apartments are located.
The architects intended to give the facades an appearance as homogeneous as possible. The decisive features of the façade design are a concrete base
and the natural slate shingles above. The elevations are perforated by large windows and retracted loggias. The choice of materials points to the basic theme of
the project, the "stone" base is related to the urban character, while the the shingles refer to a rural component. The same theme is elaborated by
the architects in the disposition of the volumes. On one hand they respond to the rural character of the mill and on the other hand to the suburban
context around the Albisriederhaus.
The owner of this building is a cooperative which sought an urban concept. They wanted explicitly a design and a concept which has its own character and allows
the residents an identification with the building. The cooperative clearly wished a custom design that stands out from the context, with the objective to achieve
a mixed compound of tenants. In this peripheral district of the city of Zurich, which had been incorporated in 1934, the cooperative wanted to address a new tenants.
The offers of the A-Park also a response to the needs of a new tenant base. The retail sector has also recognized the consumer demands, in the basement of
the building there is a large salesroom of a supermarket. Other commercial units are located on the ground floor, and are mainly oriented onto the road.
The A-Park complex contains various apartments, including duplex units, all of them provided with spacious outdoor areas. In comparision with older buildings of
cooperatives the A-Park reflects increased comfort requirements, but also the desire for independence and privacy. These requirements are testified by the maisonettes,
which have both a private courtyard as well as a private roof terrace, as well as the single-storey dwellings. The single-storey apartments also allow for a regulation of privacy,
particularly in the larger apartments, which meander around the stairwells and the cores with kitchen and bathroom. In this way there are rooms at the terminations,
which allow residents seclusion, while in the middle zone are created open spaces for get-togethers. This layout also takes acount of the day
and night activities as well as situation with or without visitors.
the historic village center. To the east of this project is located the Albisriederhaus, built by Karl Egender and Wilhelm Müller in 1934, to the north we find
the picturesque former mill. The alignment with the Albisriederhaus results in the expansion of the street space, creating some kind of forecourt which gives
access to all public facilities. Together with the existing Albisriederhaus and the nearby post office, the new construction generates an urban character
along the Albisriederstrasse. The courtyard to the rear makes obvious the contrast between urban facilities and rural environment. Facing the road,
the building has the appearance of a perimeter block development, within the courtyard the building shows its U-shaped layout and opens out
onto a meadow and the mentioned mill. On this side, facing away from the city, the private entrances to the apartments are located.
The architects intended to give the facades an appearance as homogeneous as possible. The decisive features of the façade design are a concrete base
and the natural slate shingles above. The elevations are perforated by large windows and retracted loggias. The choice of materials points to the basic theme of
the project, the "stone" base is related to the urban character, while the the shingles refer to a rural component. The same theme is elaborated by
the architects in the disposition of the volumes. On one hand they respond to the rural character of the mill and on the other hand to the suburban
context around the Albisriederhaus.
The owner of this building is a cooperative which sought an urban concept. They wanted explicitly a design and a concept which has its own character and allows
the residents an identification with the building. The cooperative clearly wished a custom design that stands out from the context, with the objective to achieve
a mixed compound of tenants. In this peripheral district of the city of Zurich, which had been incorporated in 1934, the cooperative wanted to address a new tenants.
The offers of the A-Park also a response to the needs of a new tenant base. The retail sector has also recognized the consumer demands, in the basement of
the building there is a large salesroom of a supermarket. Other commercial units are located on the ground floor, and are mainly oriented onto the road.
The A-Park complex contains various apartments, including duplex units, all of them provided with spacious outdoor areas. In comparision with older buildings of
cooperatives the A-Park reflects increased comfort requirements, but also the desire for independence and privacy. These requirements are testified by the maisonettes,
which have both a private courtyard as well as a private roof terrace, as well as the single-storey dwellings. The single-storey apartments also allow for a regulation of privacy,
particularly in the larger apartments, which meander around the stairwells and the cores with kitchen and bathroom. In this way there are rooms at the terminations,
which allow residents seclusion, while in the middle zone are created open spaces for get-togethers. This layout also takes acount of the day
and night activities as well as situation with or without visitors.