Rifertstrasse, Adliswil

The reading of the site on which the proposal for Rifertstrasse housing development is based sees the planning perimeter as part of the open landscape at the point where it meets the town of Adliswil. The concept strengthens this interface between the town and the woods and further develops the already implicit green space. With its different heights and an acceptable level of density, the proposed development pattern produces an exciting diversity. The way the individual buildings are formulated in three dimensions is based on a simple stringent building structure and is strengthened by subtle differences in the buildings’ orientation to the sun and the landscape.

The urban design, which is developed from the specific nature of the place, includes a similarly coherent housing typology. Each apartment has an outdoor space that faces towards the sun. A balcony layer running continuously around the buildings can be used for different purposes and in terms of its construction and materials borrows from the standard garden fence. It spatially extends the apartments’ usable floor area and encourages an individual atmospheric quality that residents help to design. The generously dimensioned staircases are semi-public spaces that encourage social contacts and allow visual relationships between the different storeys of the building.

The quality of an open landscape at the point of transition to the city with a discreet topography and many flourishing trees, which is already noticeable today, is strengthened further by the project. The tree garden with native trees and an undergrowth of wild shrubs and hedges is a central element that is visible and perceptible from every apartment. At ground level the surroundings of the buildings are divided into areas for the community, crossed at places by pathways used by the general public, and private areas that offer places to withdraw to. The clear canopy of leaves, the areas without trees, and the way in which light and shade alternate define different atmospheres over the course of the day and ensure continuous diversity.