The Statements

Maintenance is powerful but goes unnoticed. On Adlisberg, the leisure of some is made possible by the labor of others and despite the fundamentality of their work, maintainers feel invisible to visitors.

Maintenance concerns us all. From the simple act of brushing our teeth, to mending a button or vacuuming the floor, maintenance is an integral part of our daily lives affecting every scale of our environment and body.

Maintenance requires knowledge, tools and skills. A mason will not lend his screwdriver to an electrician, but I can borrow my neighbour’s broom. Professionals do not exchange their tools, whereas amateurs do. However, what can be shared between the two groups are knowledge and skills.

The Idea

Propre En Ordre transforms the existing Dolder Waldhaus into a toolbox, a community space focusing on the various tools needed to maintain objects and bodies. It helps establishing communication between the visitors and the workers of Adlisberg, giving visibility to maintenance processes and strengthening the community for further developments.

The Proposal

Locate the box. Strategically located on the threshold between the forest and the villa areas, the Dolder Waldhaus is served by the Dolderbahn and roads. This building, with its underused spaces and enormous potential, provides the structure for the new programme.

Shake it up. With heavy machines at the bottom and gradation to lighter «tools» at the top, the programme is distributed according to the logic of a toolbox. It offers resting areas (canteen, bedrooms, games and sports rooms) as well as ateliers (workshops, exchange centre) where professionals and amateurs rub shoulders.

Organize the tools. The hermetic building is adapted on different aspects: accesses, circulations and light input are put forward: doors and windows are replaced, ramps are added to staircases and goods lifts are installed to allow tools of all sizes to circulate between floors.

Make it visible. Visibility encourages exchange. Additions, subtractions, openings,
foldable structures, colors and simplicity: the interventions provide the building with a new iconography and encourage its openness. The thresholds between interior and exterior get playful and allow the spaces to be adapted according to the seasons.