© Stefan Müller
- Architects: Max Dudler
- Location: Bergstrasse, 8706 Meilen, Switzerland
- Area: 15050.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2014
- Photographs: Stefan Müller , Courtesy of Max Dudler
- Team: Florian Pischetsrieder, Lucyna Zawistowska, Maike Lausen, Markus Weissenmayer
- Project Managers: Jörg Jakubczak, Henrik Mundorf (until 2011), Hans Kolbeck (until 2012)
- Construction Supervision: Schwendener Baumanagement AG
- Structural Engineers: Urech Bärtschi Maurer AG
- Building Services: Kopitsis Bauphysik AG Schoch Reibenschuh AG
- Building Physics + Acoustics: IPA Energieberatung und Bauphysik Kopitsis Bauphysik AG
- Landscape Architect: vetschpartner Landschaftsarchitekten AG
- Electrical Planning: Mettler+Partner AG
© Stefan Müller
From the architect. Just like the Siedlung Halen did back then, the “urban island” on the Areal Giessen site on Lake Zurich translates the village motif into a contemporary form. Ten houses with 34 freehold ats and up to eight commercial units were built in Meilen in to- tal. Even though the design is clearly based on the countryside character of the place, its abstract, geometrical shape creates a dialectic tension with the surrounding landscape. The residential units have been arranged densely on a narrow rectangular plot, forming an island in the landscape of Lake Zurich. The residential buildings have been arranged on the plot like on a chessboard and in a staggered order, so that all ats have a view of the lake. The terraces and staircases provide a range of different vistas on the lake.
Floor Plan
The new residential site is characterised by its compact urban design and the interaction between narrow alleys and broad, semi-private open spaces. A network of paths and streets as well as a small public square with sycamore trees at the centre of the estate give the Areal Giessen site an urban feel.
© Stefan Müller
Above this square are the “pocket park” and a playground, which are accessible to all property owners.
© Stefan Müller
Section
© Stefan Müller
This deliberate arrangement of public and private spaces also extends into the buildings. Different spatial layers within the ats, ranging from the private area of the bedrooms to the living and dining areas facing towards the south, provide a 180-de- gree view of the surroundings. The ats on the Areal Giessen site have sizes of up to 257 sqm and contain 2.5 to 7.5 rooms each. Every at has its own individual, generously sized outdoor area facing to the south – either a roof-deck, a loggia or a pri- vate garden. Beneath the buildings, hidden under the slope, there is a basement garage from which all ats can be accessed. Every building also has a separate entrance. Sustainability, good noise insulation, and accessibility as well as spacious eleva- tors were important factors in the design process.
© Stefan Müller
Sig Nordal 