Jozef Merx & Nicolas Senn

The area of the Werkhof in Neu-Oerlikon developed from agricultural to industrial and later residential uses. The project “Hands-on Oerlikon” reintroduces a co-existence of these different stages. Keeping the Werkhof on site, residential space as well as commercial space for local workshops, businesses, ateliers and offices will be added. Shared spaces provide moments of encounter between the different users. The form of the existing Werkhof, four building wings around an open court is a typology that offers a lot of freedom. The new design creates variations of this shape by splitting the existing courtyard in two and adding two new wings. Three different courtyards are created in this way, each with distinct spatial and social characteristics. The new building on the south side of the plot will give the ensemble a distinct face. Offices and small businesses are located on the ground floor and connected to the garages in the existing Werkhof. The entrances to the residential areas on the upper floors are in the corners of this building, linking the street to the inner courtyard with the new main building. The roofs of the existing Werkhof are transformed into gardens, that are accessible from the new residential areas and form a path including gardens, compost areas and a lookout point on the existing silo. The residential areas offer flats for different types of living from single households to shared flats, families and cluster apartments. The construction is based on a repetitive structure with two narrow and one broader strip. With increasing height, the façade is stepped back to form outdoor spaces. The standard unit of an apartment can be varied in size using switch rooms and can also be connected to form a double unit. Sleeping niches allow rooms to be used differently during the day.