Abstraction with a traditional typology. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo
31/12/2021.
[Zollikon] Switzerland
metalocus, CARLOS GONZÁLEZ
metalocus, CARLOS GONZÁLEZ
Swiss architecture firm, Karamuk Kuo, led by Jeannette Kuo and Ünal Karamuk was commissioned to design a housing building in Zollikon municipality, in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland, known for being one of Switzerland's most exclusive districts.
Karamuk Kuo designed a distinctive building under one dramatic gable roof southwards, in a steeply plot, is in fact five homes, paying attention to traditional Swiss housing tipology, that take the nuclear family as model, to reimagine what living together looks like now.
Karamuk Kuo designed a distinctive building under one dramatic gable roof southwards, in a steeply plot, is in fact five homes, paying attention to traditional Swiss housing tipology, that take the nuclear family as model, to reimagine what living together looks like now.
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Karamuk Kuo
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo. Photograph by Rory Gardiner
Model. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
Model. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
Model. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
Site plan. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
Access floor plan. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
Lower floor plan. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
Upper floor plan. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
Section. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
Section. House on a slope by Karamuk Kuo.
The small apartment complex is the answer given by Karamuk Kuo to the client's request that he wanted an increase in density of the project in response to the increase in house prices (steadily in recent years), in the that the canton of Zurich is one of the areas with the highest price increases in Switzerland.
The client who inherited the property wanted to incorporate affordable units in this exclusive neighborhood. Intended to be rented separately, the five units are spread across three different floors.
"From a small loft to a four-bedroom apartment, the flats drastically vary in size and use and are tailored to a range of needs and income diversities, creating a threshold for ‘those who are underserved in the community."
Jeanette Kuo
Project description by Karamuk Kuo
On the slopes just outside of Zurich, in an affluent neighborhood of single family homes, a client with an inherited property has a vision. Rather than adhere to common practice and contribute not only to ongoing sprawl but also to the shortage of affordable housing, he dreams of building a small tight knit community of multi-generational tenants on his single lot. Preferencing smaller and therefore more affordable units, the building is composed of five radically different unit types housed under the guise of a single mega villa – a stealth density that evades the prejudices of neighbors.
A gable roof allows the form to fit into the context while its ridge radically follows the slope of the terrain, maximizing buildable volume in a dumb replica of the zoning diagram. At the same time, an exaggerated eave cantilevering towards the south gives the building its distinctive character and a sheltered outdoor space for the garden unit.
Inside, the floors step with the landscape in a series of split levels that give spatial richness to the apartments. Each apartment has a private outdoor space while a variety of window types offer different relationships to the surroundings and at the same time mask the scale of the building.
More information
Architects
Design team
Jeannette Kuo, Ünal Karamuk, Andreas Papadantonakis (project leader), Pawel Bejm, Noé Cuendet, Linda Hatava.
Collaborators
Construction Management.- Merkli Degen Architekten.
Structural Engineer.- Ferrari Gartmann.
M+P Engineer.- Wirkungsgrad Ingenieure.
Electrical Engineer.- Kowner.
Building Physics.- EK Energiekonzepte.
Structural Engineer.- Ferrari Gartmann.
M+P Engineer.- Wirkungsgrad Ingenieure.
Electrical Engineer.- Kowner.
Building Physics.- EK Energiekonzepte.
Client
Private.
Area
695 m².
Dates
2017 - 2020.
Location
Zollikon, Switzerland.
Photography
Jeannette Kuo, Ünal Karamuk. Karamuk Kuo
Karamuk Kuo was established in 2010 by Jeannette Kuo and Ünal Karamuk who bring their international background and diverse building experiences to their design process. Foregrounding the relationship of space and program, each project is approached with the optimism that architecture is the translation of fresh ideas into reality.
The office works on projects of a range of scales—from spatial installations and exhibitions to complex multi-family housing projects—and is always looking for new creative opportunities. In addition, both partners are committed to intellectual pursuits in design research and have been teaching since 2006 at various universities in the U.S. and Switzerland. Jeannette is currently Assistant Professor in Practice at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
Ünal Karamuk studied architecture at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich. In 2002, he studied for an exchange semester at Harvard Graduate School of Design before returning to complete his diploma at the ETH with Professor Christian Kerez. Until 2008 he worked at the New York offices of Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM), REX Architecture, and Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). From 2009 to 2012, he taught at the ETH Zurich Chair of Christian Kerez.
Jeannette Kuo received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture at U.C.Berkeley (1999), her Master of Architecture with Distinction at Harvard University (2004), and her Master of Advanced Studies at ETH Zurich (2010). After working for Barkow Leibinger Architects in Berlin and Architecture Research Office in New York, she started teaching in 2006 with the Maybeck Teaching Fellowship at UC Berkeley and went on to teach at MIT (2007—2009) and at the EPFL Lausanne (2011—2014). Since 2016, she is Assistant Professor in Practice at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
The office works on projects of a range of scales—from spatial installations and exhibitions to complex multi-family housing projects—and is always looking for new creative opportunities. In addition, both partners are committed to intellectual pursuits in design research and have been teaching since 2006 at various universities in the U.S. and Switzerland. Jeannette is currently Assistant Professor in Practice at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
Ünal Karamuk studied architecture at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich. In 2002, he studied for an exchange semester at Harvard Graduate School of Design before returning to complete his diploma at the ETH with Professor Christian Kerez. Until 2008 he worked at the New York offices of Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM), REX Architecture, and Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). From 2009 to 2012, he taught at the ETH Zurich Chair of Christian Kerez.
Jeannette Kuo received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture at U.C.Berkeley (1999), her Master of Architecture with Distinction at Harvard University (2004), and her Master of Advanced Studies at ETH Zurich (2010). After working for Barkow Leibinger Architects in Berlin and Architecture Research Office in New York, she started teaching in 2006 with the Maybeck Teaching Fellowship at UC Berkeley and went on to teach at MIT (2007—2009) and at the EPFL Lausanne (2011—2014). Since 2016, she is Assistant Professor in Practice at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
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