ETH-Studio Jan De Vylder, Jan De Vylder, Oliver Burch, Jakob Junghanss, Lukas Ryffel (eds.)
Towards Transformation. The 33.3 % Attitude. Zurich
The city of Zurich is growing – like many metropolitan areas. As both the population and employment rates increase, there is a desire for inward densification and thus it is becoming necessary to question how to use the available ground suitable for building more economically. In the last 20 years, Zurich has managed this primarily by replacing buildings. But what alternatives are there to continue building the city and to incorporate existing buildings to a greater extent?
Over a period of three years, the 33.3% design studio of the chair of De Vylder created 22 projects that use specific case studies from the city of Zurich to develop an alternative approach to urban transformation. The design studio participants closely examined urban development practices of different actors, from institutional investors and the public sector to cooperatives and private owners.
The 33.3% in the title refers to more than just a numbers game – it is an approach to design that revolves around the economy of resources and considers the existing building as a resource to be used – continuing with what is already there instead of complete demolition and replacement.
Book design: Piet Bodyn, Mathieu Lauwers