Lara Biesser

The buildings at Hochstrasse 56/58 embody a layered history of transformation—from rural Lehenshöfe to the 19th-century pension Beau Séjour, from ETH-owned residences to speculative real estate. The structures bear witness to overlapping narratives, forming a built palimpsest where time is inscribed in rooflines, various entrances, and spatial typologies.

In contrast to the current trend of ETH-Immobilien selling off its housing stock to the highest bidder, the project proposes an approach rooted in care, continuity, and spatial experimentation. The design unfolds along three strategies: First, the reinterpretation of in-between spaces, fostering informal encounters and blurring domestic thresholds; Second, the vertical extension of the «Hofhaus», which frames a semi-public central garden; and third, an exploration of «nicht-anrechenbare Flächen»—ambiguous, often inter-climatic zones that open new possibilities for densification. The space between the two buildings—once a passage, then a representational gate, now a residual void—serves as conceptual point of departure of various «Zwischenräume», interstitial spaces, neither fully interior nor exterior, private nor public. Rather than being treated as by-products, these zones are activated both socially and climatically, enhancing permeability and enabling seasonal adaptability. Kitchens function as communal nodes, rooms evolve with shifting needs. Narrow staircases are reimagined, linking both façades as vertical communal zones—where circulation becomes encounter, and light and temperature define a new kind of climatic section.