The historic housing stock which has emerged in the period of industrialization during the late 19th and early 20th century – often referred as Gründerzeitarchitektur in German-speaking countries – is a constitutive key characteristic for the European city and identity. During the last decades, in many European urban cores, alongside the house price boom, this housing stock came in the focus of rent-seeking investors and developers, turning it into a profitable commodity. At the same time, climate change has been requiring prevention and mitigation strategies in the historic housing sector which have become a key challenge.
Buildings constructed during this period also make up a significant portion of Zurich’s housing stock. Often characterised by their brick facades, they are found in neighbourhoods that were developed during the city’s period of rapid industrialisation. These neighbourhoods have since been transformed into some of the city’s most socially, culturally and economically diverse and beloved urban areas. Their material, visual and architectural characteristics are critical to the identity of these neighbourhoods, offering unique spatial qualities that are difficult to replicate. Although a relatively high number of examples have been preserved, as with the rest of the housing stock, many of these buildings are under pressure to increase density, improve energy performance and comply with evolving comfort, safety and accessibility requirements.
What role does this building stock play in Zurich’s sustainable development? Which aspects can be preserved, and which are the potentials for transformation? What were the conditions which allowed for the emergence of these buildings? Do the current legal and regulatory frameworks for the further development of the building stock take sufficient consideration of the specific qualities?
The Focus Work welcomes students interested in exploring the intersection between qualitative investigations and related policies, regulations, and legal frameworks.
It can be written in German or English.
This Focus Work is offered in conjunction with the ongoing international research project Sustherit.
Contact: Orkun Kasap, kasap@arch.ethz.ch