The high housing cost in Zurich has made access to affordable living one of the city’s most pressing issues, especially for young artists. This project responds to the fundamental question: *“Within a limited urban site, how can we live together?”* Beyond simply providing housing, it proposes a new typology of shared living for 50 artists on a compact 20×30 m site in central Zurich, creating a vibrant community hub within the contrasting urban context of the lake to the east and the railway to the west.
Coexistence of Sharing and Independence
The project explores how collective life and personal privacy can coexist within dense urban limits. The design is structured around a clear spatial hierarchy—private (living), collective (shared), and productive (workshop) zones—organized through sectional separation that connects spaces visually while maintaining their autonomy.
- Connection to the City (Ground Level): The first floor is conceived as a public interface, hosting galleries and terraces that invite local engagement. Artists’ creative activities extend into the neighborhood, fostering cultural exchange and urban vitality.
- Vertical Hierarchy (Upper Floors): Housing units are arranged through a skip-floor system, linked by a vertical circulation core on the west. Private rooms face the south and east for optimal light and lake views, while the central “cluster” spans three levels as a shared lounge and communal heart.
- The Cluster as Core: This central void connects all floors both visually and socially, opening views from the dynamic railways on the west to the calm lakeside on the east. It becomes a spatial mediator where residents naturally meet, bridging isolation through everyday encounters.
