Kafischnaps

The two apartment buildings from the 1920s are typical for co-op housing units in Zurich of this time. All fourteen 3.5 and 4.5 bedroom apartments are organized around a central entrance hall and are reminiscent of the upper middle-class housing of the time. Due to the good floorplan, our architectural interventions were limited to the enlargement of the bathrooms, balconies, and loggias to meet current living standards. On the one hand we aimed at maintaining particular qualities, which nowadays are no longer being produced in middle-class housing such as the panelled wooden doors, the tiled ceramic ovens, and the high quality wooden floors. On the other hand, modern standards were introduced in the kitchens and bathrooms. This led to a design concept of continuing to build on existing atmospheres and qualities. The existing richness of materials was combined with modern standards and comfortable living. While the former butcher shop at the intersection of Rotbuchstrasse and Kornhausstrasse was redesigned to become the new café “Kafischnaps”, the apartment directly above it was turned into a bed and breakfast.

Phasing

Planning | 2004
Realisation | 2006

Client

Private

Architecture 

HILDEBRAND
Urban Office

Planning

Daniel Kobel & Oliver Baumgartner, urbanoffice & HILDEBRAND
Construction Supervision | Philipp Brunnschweiler, BDE Architekten

Key Data

Procedure | Commission
Surface | 1’400 m² GFA
Budget | 3.2 M CHF

Photography

Roman Keller
Andrea Helbling