Barbara Buser, you are just returned from Berlin. They were looking for Inspiration or deterrent examples in terms of city development?
I worked as a senior technical consultant for a project on the spot, but of course you can find in Berlin, both. There is still room for freedom, at the same time, the city has sold off after reunification, a lot of public ground to Private. Now there is a lack of massive low-income housing. What is confirmed is that Private usually are not willing to solve the housing problem.
your important construction projects, they realized almost all in the Basel Region: the Gundel things box, the Old market hall, the mill of Munich, a stone or the Hanro Site in Liestal. The program is?
Yes. Our architecture office is called In Situ – in place. In Basel, I grew up in. And it is no coincidence that the Gundel things field 19 years ago was my most important project: Here I live in the house my great-grandfather’s, that I could save before the crash. I knew what was missing in the district. Hence the ideas for the conversion of the old factory site.
“I’ve never understood why all the Old tear off and throw away.”
In the Gundel things field, you not only created housing, but also living spaces. That seems to me to be a Central point in your work, right?
Yes, the public space interests me almost more than the private living area. Many architects find this less exciting, I broke already: the conversion and redesign of industry.
You would think that the king discipline for each and every architect is the new building. They deal with old buildings. Why?
I’ve never understood why all the Old tear off and throw away. Most of the old buildings are built not only in high quality, but also with a lot of expertise and attention to Detail. A massive oak parquet keeps up with 400 years, the present composite floor coverings, perhaps even twenty years. In Switzerland, the production cost is so high that the Detail is saved and the construction companies are not interested in what happens after the expiry of the five-year warranty. Clearly, an oak floor today to pay hardly more, which speaks to my philosophy: keep what is already there, and re-use.
the Old was preserved if possible: This townhouse located in Zurich in 1949, has rebuilt the site office In Situ. Photo: pd/In Situ
But there are also examples of modern architecture. About the redesign of the University area in Zurich by the firm of Herzog & de Meuron, and Christ & Gantenbein.
that is correct, but old buildings are often designed to be significantly more careful and detailed. And above all: still useful. An old house is more than just a bunch of stone and wood. It is made of high quality Material, and it comes cheaper, if you use the old structure. The shell makes up about thirty percent of the construction costs. Because it’s worth it most of the time, to let this stand, if the structure does not need to be changed. So you can combine the Old with the New, which I think is by far the most exciting.
your preserving attitude you would have to points just in the conservative camp.
The Problem is that you generated with my philosophy of fewer large orders and, thus, less profit. Since the call for a new sound quickly.
new prestige buildings and star architects Are discontinued models?
no. If it needs a new building, like a Museum or a hospital, and he is affordable and well-executed, not need to do anything. Me irritated never. It had always been empty, old houses that have attracted me magically.
When you look back on your time at the ETH – what you had back then?
Me had finished fascinated with houses. Building, produced industrially and then in a short time mounted. Four years ago, we have taken in the Zurich office, the power: prefabricated modular buildings, it must be installed in a few weeks. According to this System, we have built approximately twelve housing estates for refugees in the whole of Switzerland.
“The beauty is in the case of such large-scale projects from the Finance dictates.”
After graduating, she worked for ten years as a development worker in Africa. You Tell!
In South Sudan, I built a fountain with the local population. And in Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania, I managed the Renovation for the building and maintenance of the University. Back in Basel, I was very inspired by my work in Africa. There is practically no waste, almost everything can be recycled. At the same time, I became aware of how good the quality of our building culture is and how many quality buildings are constantly being aborted. This contrast sparked in me a deep lack of understanding about how wasteful we are, the way we behave. So I created the component exchange. We rescue, polishing, control, and sell components from demolition of houses.
The reuse of old components is a major concern of Barbara Buser: In Winterthur your architecture firm, is expanding a warehouse exclusively with components from the rear buildings. Illustration: pd/In Situ
Our cities are likely to get in the next fifty years, a huge increase. We are moving urban development into the right direction?
no, the current development is disastrous, as it seeks to squeeze new high-rise buildings in the cities, filled with apartments, whose rent can afford the least. Real compaction due to less square feet of living space per capita, more public space for all. There are commendable examples, such as in the case of cooperatives, which set a Limit of forty square feet per Person.
This seems to me to be reasonably sized.
I Would say. However, for many Swiss, this is already a huge restriction.
“compaction may not only affect the cities.”
is, Therefore, a compression in terms of urbanism is the magic word of the hour.
Yes, but compaction is not achieved by in a small space, although much is built, but in the end, only a few people in the living room, because the floor plans are large, or apartments to expensive. An example is the Europe Allee in Zurich, To the high construction costs to cover, rent and sell there homes for the highest prices.
Condensed Housing for high earners?
Of compaction can be no more talk, rather, of the reduction in density. Of course, the high house has a permission, but if it’s running on half-empty concrete boxes with second homes, is reached to the contrary. That is why the Europe didn’t do Avenue for me with a lot of the architecture, but rather with return maximization. It comes to build as much square feet of gross floor area, which you can rent or sell. In addition, the buildings are boring.
Have not because architects have the ambition to create something Exciting, Handsome?
Clear, but unfortunately, the beauty is dictated in the case of such large-scale projects from the Finance. Every decoration, every tab, every return jump, any Irregularity costs money and is weggespart, unless it is rentable-square-generate.
What would be your recipe?
I would concentrate on the agglomeration areas. There is the urban sprawl eats a lot of the country. Since you would have to consider whether it would not make sense to plan a new city.
A new town? This concern would be in Switzerland, probably takes getting used to.
compaction may not only affect the cities. Currently, to be expanded quarters in the Agglo just the living. The people have to travel for work, for their leisure needs or for shopping in the malls. Why not ensure that urban structures? Of course, this is to implement because of their ownership of hard. Which is why we have in Switzerland, this settlement porridge. If you are driving from one city to the next, we know hardly more, where the ends of a city and the other begins.
(Annabelle)
Created: 07.03.2019, 14:43 PM
