Sue & Til
11 december 2020
Stern exterior, liveable interior
Despite the unpopularity of large-scale housing projects, urban densification and sustainable use of inner-city land is the only option in conurbations. A residential project in Winterthur shows how sustainable living and urban density can work successfully together. Industrial hangars used to be located where the massive serpentine form of the Sue & Til residential building now stands, reshaping the urban space in the process: a hard edge facing the main road, a square piazza set at the corner of the plot nearest to the city, a long courtyard inside. The building and its futuristic-looking ALUCOBOND® panels has a surprise in store: It is a modular prefabricated Swiss Minergie standard wood-hybrid structure, measuring 12,800 m² and is the largest of its kind in Switzerland. Ground-breaking due to its sustainable, energy-saving construction and its modular structure made of glued laminated timber. This wood was cut to size quickly and extremely precisely using computer-aided machinery in the factory and delivered to the construction site in finished modules with load-bearing and partition walls, complete with insulation and façade. Even the bathrooms were prefabricated and delivered as finished modules. Industrial prefabrication accelerated the entire construction process, made it independent of weather conditions, reduced material waste and prevented construction defects. Only the basement and the staircases are made of concrete, and metal reinforcements have been used at intersections of timber joists. The serpent contains 307 flats but these are hard to identity. The separate, private spaces only become apparent when balcony plants and greenery peep out from the loggias, the recessed roof terraces and the strict modular façade. While the silver ALUCOBOND® façade with black window profiles and the exposed concrete semi-public access areas focuses more on objectivity, the interior of the flats is surprising with wooden floors, timber plank ceilings and supports. The flats are either corner flats or are the whole depth of the building. Loggias and floor-to-ceiling windows allow plenty of natural light into the rooms. The result is a range of flats, comprising from two to five rooms, which are bright, functional and feature very individual floor plans. In essence, large-scale can also be beautiful, life-affirming and sustainable.
Project: Sue & Til, Winterthur | Switzerland
Architect: ARGE suetil – weberbrunner architekten ag + Soppelsa Architekten, Zurich | Switzerland
Fabricator: Implenia Schweiz AG, Zurich | Switzerland
Façade System: Riveted, Screwed
Year of Construction: 2018
Product: ALUCOBOND® A2 Anodized Look C0/EV1
Photos: Beat Bühler