Candide
A “circular-economy site” on Thurgauerstrasse in Zurich-Seebach – this is the vision of the non-profit property developers and the City of Zurich, who are jointly developing the “nordnordost” project. Around 380 flats and 4,500 m² of commercial space will be built here. Circular construction, business and living are intended to shape the character of the development as part of the circular-economy.
In the competition for the new residential and commercial buildings in zones C2–C4, the team led by WALDRAP placed second. The CANDIDE project was described as “a well-thought-out, cohesive, and understated project that, through subtle means, fosters a strong sense of connection to the new neighborhood” and “impresses with its elegant, composed volumetry.” The design envisages one building parallel to Thurgauerstrasse and three buildings oriented towards the neighborhood, with community spaces located between them. They are connected by covered walkways and a rooftop garden with greenhouses enables urban gardening.
“The proposed timber structure, with hollow box ceilings and a largely uniform load transfer, is resource-efficient’ and was developed by the structural engineers at LÜCHINGER MEYER PARTNER. The design of the primary structure follows the principles of simplicity, adaptability and ease of disassembly. A timber skeleton with a precise grid forms a robust structure and allows for a wide range of uses, modifications and disassembly throughout its life cycle. Clear separation of systems throughout increases efficiency and simplifies repairs; furthermore, dismantling and reuse are already factored into the design (Design for Disassembly). A high degree of standardisation reduces construction time and costs by efficiently making use of many identical elements. All elements can be separated by type and are reusable. The large number of identical elements makes cataloguing and subsequent planning for re-use efficient. In this way, the structure sequesters CO₂, preserves the value of the materials and makes construction an integral part of the circular-economy site.
Visualisations: ZUEND, Zurich
