The location is characterized by a slightly sloping topography, and benefits from an exceptional view over Zurich Lake and of the Glarus Alps. For the planned apartment complex, the aim was to design a living environment where individuals of different ages would find a peaceful and introverted, yet collective, outdoor space.
The four residential buildings together are thought of as a hamlet. The place gets its independence through the creation of spatial connections among the houses and the landscape. This results in a simple and self-explanatory concept that grants the apartments the desired privacy but still connects them together to build a community.
The introverted courtyard is seen as a place of arrival and encounter. It is intended to convey the feeling of a well-tended garden and, therefore, a high degree of privacy. However, here, the image of a central european garden, where paths lead through lush greenery, doesn’t meet the security and functional requirements. The realized design, this mineral garden with its well-kept and climate-friendly mediterranean atmosphere, does justice to the location with its extraordinary view, the exclusive form of housing and the functional aspects. The outside space is characterized by a preexisting wild orchard, that gives the south-facing living rooms and terraces a calm atmosphere, at the same time creating a direct connection to the place. The depth of this generous field offers a third dimension, where the panorama is no longer a scenery far away, but becomes part of the surroundings.
Other landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
Architecture offices involved in the design: Burkard Meyer Architekten, CH-Baden
Project location: Austrasse 13-19, 8706 Meilen, Switzerland
Design year: 2014-2018
Year Built: 2018
