Haus 42

Stäfa, Switzerland

Photo © Roman Keller

Collective Housing + Multiple Houses

Architects: HILDEBRAND

Location: Stäfa, Switzerland
Year: 2018
Team: Stephan Dietrich, Thomas Hildebrand, Carla Ferrer Llorca, Yuichi Kodai, Michael Stünzi, Jacques Perroud

Various challenges such as the trapezoidal basic shape of the plot and the steeply sloping building ground influenced the design of the building.

The somewhat forgotten terraced house typology could be applied and reinterpreted in Stäfa. Instead of one-floor flats with completely different living qualities, we deliberately decided in favour of four vertical living units of equal value. Each of the houses has its own garden, various terraces and a far-reaching view over Lake Zurich. The vertical wooden elements of the façades are positioned at different distances from each other in order to control views and privacy.

Different spatial proportions, lighting situations and the relationship to the outdoor space create different qualities and bypass the usual hierarchies of use. This gives the occupants freedom to appropriate the rooms: living in the attic, sleeping in the garden floor or vice versa. The design of the kitchen and stairs underlines this aspect. They are perceived as carefully crafted furniture and defy conventions in terms of form and materiality.