The Pitched Roof

33.33% an existing building is transformed TO LIVE, while the remaining 66.66% keep their ACTIVITIES. 

The Pitched Roof on Steinackerstrasse 2, built in 1984, shelters a bike shop with a badminton court inside and two recycling centers. From the outside, it is almost the only building that looks like a house, a "Swiss home".

We kept the whole recycling part, as it functions as one whole machine. The bike shop already had a temporary structure with perforated beams that didn't touch any existing walls, which meant less demolishing. We removed the façade between the bearing pillars and reused the garage doors for the balconies of the housing. The pattern of the roof caught our attention and we decided to work with it by creating an extension of the beam, letting more light come into the courts.

The original badminton courts stay and become a wintergarden for the houses. While matches still take place, the court also becomes a communal kitchen and living space. The linoleum floor is durable and easy to clean, and the space between the two courts is perfectly sized for kitchen counters. Water and electricity come from the beam above. Tables and counters are movable, only the sinks stay in place, serving both the cooks and the players. Cooking, socializing and sports happen simultaneously.

The apartments are organized around the pillars and the staircase, from which all the main functions of the home extend. In the first typology, the pillar gives the shape and size of the kitchen counter and sink, the bench in the living area and the lamp for the work area. The shower head extends from the same pipes as the sink, and the bathing area is freed from walls: you can choose to bathe inside, or outside, as the pipes continue. In the second typology of apartments, family homes, the staircase takes over the role of the pillar. You walk around it, with all the functions of the home attached.

Throughout, we celebrated the height that gives the building its industrial feel.