In collaboration with:
Chair of Construction Heritage and Preservation, Prof. Dr. Silke Langenberg, Reto Wasser
Chair of History and Theory of Architecture, Prof. Dr. Maarten Delbeke, Linda Stagni
The densification of agglomerations is advancing and formerly small villages are growing into cities. Dübendorf is part of the agglomeration of Zurich and is considered to be the fastest changing municipality in Switzerland. While urban islands and high-rise buildings emerge on its borders, the settlement areas in the center however, are still characterized by relics of small parcellation with free-standing single-and multi-family houses. They are unable to live up to their claim of being a city and to function as a platform for collective exchange. However due to the shortage of settlement area and the pressure for densification, these small parcels of land with single-family houses are increasingly coming under pressure. The building fabric is displaced by the “Ersatzneubau”, the quality of which is usually inferior, not taking the actual context into account. Consequently, the question of how to deal with this small parcelling prevails. On the one hand, they make it difficult to adapt the built space to our current demands of new ways of living and densification. On the other hand, they also guarantee the preservation of the building fabric, its history and its resources.
An examination of the parcels in Dübendorf and their “Ausnützungsziffer” showed that the greatest potential for densification lies primarily within the older properties. In an attempt of land reorganisation, the size of the plots could be reduced so that each building corresponds to the maximal “Ausnützungsziffer” of the plot. What remains are fragments of unused building land. The process of land reorganization ensures the preservation of the existing building fabric. Further, it allows current settlement structures to be densified and new typologies to be developed for these interstitial spaces. New addresses are introduced and allow the existing social fabric to coexist.
The block between Churfirstenstrasse and Glärnischstrasse is inhabited by a remarkably diverse social structure. The spectrum ranges from senior citizens, to families of local politicians, to shared apartments, to housing for refugees. Accordingly, the reality of life in the neighbourhood is perceived significantly different by the residents. While some are strongly connected to their neighbors, others struggle to join the local community. What everyone shares, however, is the concern that the familiar built environment is changing so rapidly and new apartment blocks are emerging everywhere. With them, the residents lose a piece of identification, as well as their social setting.
With the emergence of the Innovation Park on the airport in Dübendorf, the pressure of the market on the existing buildings is increasing. Meanwhile, parcel after parcel is being bought up by investors in the hope of increasing the price of the property. The backyard buildings could be implemented in stages by the residents and individually they require smaller financial outlays. The revenues could generate an additional income, during which they can continue to live in their neighbourhoods.
