Zurich: New replacement building for Salzweg housing estate

The Salzweg housing estate at Rautistrasse 331-345 and 351-365 was built around 50 years ago and was designed by architect Manuel Pauli, one of the best-known Swiss architects of the time. It consists of two to five-storey rows of buildings and two detached four to six-storey houses with a total of 130 apartments.

As the estate is in a very poor condition, it is to be replaced by a new building. According to the City of Zurich, the prefabricated construction is structurally and physically inadequate and would require a great deal of effort to bring it up to current standards. In addition, the apartment floor plans, which are too small according to the cantonal housing subsidy ordinance, could not be enlarged during a renovation. This would make it impossible to subsidize apartments in the future.

According to the city of Zurich, 160 to 190 apartments could be created with a new replacement building. Of these, 4- and 4.5-room apartments make up just under half, with 3- and 3.5-room apartments accounting for around a third. Around 300 people currently live in the development, but this could rise to 460 to 540 people in the new building. The plan is to create a low-car housing estate.

If the municipal council approves the project planning credit of around CHF 7.5 million, a competition will be held, the results of which could be available in winter 2019. The referendum would then take place in the fall of 2022. If everything goes smoothly, construction could start in the second quarter of 2023. The first tenants are expected to move in at the beginning of 2026. (ah)