Cooperative plans 280 new apartments in Zurich-Affoltern

The Waidmatt cooperative is planning to replace its estates 5, 6 and 7 (157 apartments) between Wehntalerstrasse, In Böden and Riedenhaldenstrasse, which were built in the 1950s, with new buildings. This is because the existing apartment layouts and the standard of fittings no longer meet today's needs.

The approximately 280 new apartments are to be affordable and, according to the statutes, will be available primarily for "communal living arrangements" and especially for families. The offer will be supplemented with a double kindergarten as well as commercial premises and studios on Wehntalerstrasse. The investment volume amounts to CHF 110 million.

Two competition winners

The winners of a project competition are Enzmann Fischer Partner, SMLXL Landschaft & Städtebau and Ana Otero. The proposed solution "dihei" by Enzmann Fischer Partner and SMLXL convinced the jury for the construction sites 5 and 6. This proposes row buildings that reach into the depth of the plots, offering a residential alley as a meeting space on one side and a more private, green garden courtyard on the other.

The proposal "Cloud Talk" by the up-and-coming architect Ana Otero is to be implemented on construction site 7. She places there two point buildings with 34 multi-sided large apartments.

It will be built in stages until 2023

In the interests of neighborhood compatibility, the building cooperative is waiving the maximum permissible utilization of the plots and is opting for a utilization factor of around 90 percent based on the preliminary work of the Office for Buildings. The new replacement buildings are to be built to the Minergie-P-ECO standard in stages from 2019 to 2023.

The non-profit building cooperative Waidmatt was founded in 1943 and owns around 630 apartments spread over 13 estates. This makes it one of the medium-sized housing cooperatives in the greater Zurich area.