Conversion Office Building

Conversion Office Building | Switzerland | 2023
[Lengen Hajdarevic Architektur]

Brief description
The office building in the heart of Uitikon-Waldegg was converted into a residential building with six apartments. Through specific interventions, the building structure was adapted to the new use.

Design idea
Deficits and potentials were identified through detailed examination. The design approach focused on changing the spatial qualities of the interior and the expression of the building towards the outside in order to correspond with the new use as a residential building. The focus was on better integrating the building into the village structure, respecting the municipality’s guidelines regarding the appearance of the village and making the privileged location perceptible.

Access
The building entrance was located on the front side in the northeast and the stairwell was positioned off-center. By moving the staircase and positioning the entrance centrally on the longitudinal facade towards the street, the access to the building, as well as the access inside the building, was optimized for residential use. The access is now more direct, the approach is clearer and the face of the building to the village was reinforced.

Apartments
There are two apartments on each floor. In the center of the 3.5 and 4.5 room apartments is a spacious living and dining area with an open kitchen, which is zoned by the arrangement of the kitchen cabinets. The bedrooms are given a more private character due to the parapet windows, but without losing the relation to the outside.

Facade
The facade and the roof were optimized by specific measures to meet the new needs of residential use, and the building is also being renovated in terms of energy efficiency.

The existing windows at the corners of the longitudinal facade as well as at the gable facade were replaced by French windows. The generous openings create light-filled living spaces with an appropriate relationship to the exterior. The bay window on the street side was removed and a round window was added above the entrance, to clarify the situation and strengthen the expression of the building. In addition, the existing wooden facade in the attic was replaced by a generous glazing consisting of delicate windows. In order to connect the glazed and closed facade sections, vertical wooden slats were provided, which extend across the entire width of the gable facade.

The roof in the northeast of the building was raised to create a uniform ridge height and thus calm the shape of the roof. Also, by eliminating the bay window, a clear, continuous roof edge was created. New skylights and generous dormers provide ideal natural lighting for the over-height rooms of the two attic apartments.

Materialization
To meet the municipality’s requirements for the appearance of the site, we based our work primarily on the existing building. Typically for the location, materials such as plaster, concrete, wood, copper and clay characterize the overall appearance of the facade. These materials suggest independence and restraint at the same time, contributing to the expression and autonomy of the building, which fits seamlessly into the village landscape due to its nuanced materialization and restrained color palette. Text description by the architects.