Double single family house Ausserdorfstrasse, Winterthur

Description of property

Not only do the two units form an architectural ensemble, they also form a small section of land: a harmoniously modelled island set in the neighbourhood of recently built multi-family houses. The firm BDE Architekten based in Winterthur have built a double home here for two related families. A total of six children aged from two to seven bring life into the garden area and the common courtyard between the houses. To achieve this the architects dared to try out a constructive experiment: The whole build is made of MISAPOR insulating concrete. With its irregularly distributed large-pored inclusions and air bubbles it is more like volcanic tuff than artificial stone. MISAPOR houses have an appeal that seems more inviting and warmer than conventional concrete buildings. The 40-centimetre-thick, monolithic walls with their infolds and projections add contours to the spatial volumes, rather like clay cubes. Their ochre-coloured glaze emphasises the sensory material properties of the concrete.


Property profile

Object
Double single family house Ausserdorfstrasse, Winterthur
Year of construction
2009
city
8400 Winterthur
Canton
Zurich
country
Switzerland
Architect
BDE Architekten GmbH, 8400 Winterthur