Residential Building and Barn in Zurich
Schwamendingen
Study upon invitation of the City of Zurich, 2008, 1.
Price, execution 2009–2010
Michael Meier and Marius Hug Architekten
The detached group of buildings on the outskirts of the village center of Schwamendingen regains its urban footprint by the reconstruction of the barn. Surrounded by
multistory-buildings, it stands as contemporary witness and creates its own identity.
While the farm building provides living space, as it did in its original meaning, the column-free barn shall eventually be used as a public building. The floor plan of the residential building remains unchanged, valuable paneling; boarded
floors and the tiled stove were restored in accordance with historic value preservation standards. The present color schemes and wallpapers were re-interpreted.
The barn, with identical surface lines as its predecessor, is enveloped in a translucent covering. The cutouts in the rough sawn larch planks are reminiscent of barn
designs in the nineteenth century. The five vaulted wooden beams recreate the original four sections of the barn. Two large barn doors mark the entrances and redefine the barn as an accessible space. The lighting will be implemented in
the style of former enameled barn lamps. The overall goal is to achieve the highest-possible flexibility, in construction and creation of space, for interim use as well as for a later user-specific design.
The rebuild of the barn takes on the air of an agricultural building, based on its surface and spacious value, via its external appearance, it has transformed into a public building.