SEW plans sustainable housing development in Zurich-Schwamendingen

The Einfach Wohnen SEW foundation is planning two replacement buildings in Zurich-Schwamendingen. The site on which the new buildings will be built is located between Dübendorfstrasse, Glattwiesenstrasse, Altwiesenstrasse and Luchswiesenweg and belongs to various landowners. They joined together in 2010 to form a simple partnership to develop the site. In 2017, SEW joined the Areal-Gesellschaft.

The residential buildings that currently exist on construction areas 1 and 7 date back to the 1950s and are in need of renovation. The project will therefore also create new living space: There are currently 26 apartments on the site, and new developments will include around 80 obstacle-free and affordable apartments, a commercial space and two municipal double kindergartens.

The settlement should be both environmentally and socially sustainable

The architectural competition was won by the general planning team of Figi Zumsteg with GMS Partner from Zurich with the Sugus project. The planners propose a building type with an arcade for the two houses, and the apartment mix should appeal to both small and large households. SEW had specified a maximum main floor area of 30 square meters per person to ensure economical use of space.

With the new development, SEW is pursuing the goal of creating living space for a mixed-age and mixed-origin community living in different types of households. In addition to the aspect of social sustainability, the focus is also on minimizing CO2 consumption in the construction and operation of the development. The winning project features a high proportion of photovoltaic surfaces integrated on the roof surfaces and in the facades. The building structure consists of a skeleton construction of wood and prefabricated concrete elements. (ah)