ETHZ

The thesis project “Zur Nuss-Oele” deals with an existing barn structure in Steinhausen. It addresses the issue of disappearing agricultural buildings in the urban context and examines how existing structures can be effectively revitalized by adaptive reuse and contextual integration. The project is based on extensive and carefully conducted research, proposing further development of the farmstead and restoration of the historic walnut oil mill, which serves as the centerpiece of the complex and is situated within the existing barn. The careful detailing of the structures enhances the project's credibility and the integration of old and new in dialogue reflects a deep understanding of architectural heritage and adaptive reuse. The design carefully balances preservation and innovation, with meticulous attention to materiality, detail, and contextual harmony. By transforming the historic walnut oil mill into a vibrant communal space under a sustainably updated roof, the project fosters a meaningful dialogue between old and new, nature and architecture. 

Alternde Bevölkerung, zunehmende Anonymität durch fehlende soziale Infrastruktur und ein hoher Anteil an Zweitwohnungen: Dies führt zu einem Verlust an sozialem Zusammenhalt. Ein Beispiel für ein solches Dorf ist Tartar im Kanton Graubünden. Wir haben Bewohner besucht und zu ihre Wünschen, Sorgen und Hoffnungen befragt. Trotz aller Unterschiede verband sie ein Wunsch: mehr Gemeinschaft. Im Zentrum unseres Projekts steht ein leerstehender Stall, den wir Akropolis nennen. Es handelt sich um einen Heustall aus den siebziger Jahren mit offener Rahmenstruktur – der geräumigste und flexibelste Stall in Tartar. Unser Projekt versteht Gemeinschaft nicht nur als Ziel, sondern als architektonische Haltung. Die Akropolis wird zu einem sozialen Treffpunkt und einer lokalen Energiequelle – ein Beispiel dafür, wie sozialer Zusammenhalt gefördert, Ressourcen geschont und kulturelles Erbe weiterentwickelt werden kann. Das Projekt zeigt das transformative Potenzial von Tartars Ställen und Straßen für eine zukunftsfähige, gemeinschaftlich getragene Dorfkultur.

Ausgangspunkt ist die intensive Auseinandersetzung mit dem besonderen Charakter des Westquais in Basel – ein Ort, geprägt von industrieller Nutzung, ephemeren Architektur und stetigem Wandel. Aus dieser Beobachtung entwickelt sich das Leitbild eines „Lagers für Räume“ – ein flexibles, dynamisches städtebauliches Konzept, das dem Ort gerecht wird und Zukunftsperspektiven eröffnet. Es gelingt der Arbeit, vorhandene Strukturen aufzugreifen und weiterzudenken. Die Blockrandstruktur des angrenzenden Klybeckquartiers wird aufgenommen, öffnet sich jedoch in Richtung Rhein. Silos bleiben als identitätsstiftende Hochpunkte erhalten. Neue Verbindungen – insbesondere die Brücke nach Frankreich und die Verbindung zum Ostquai – verankern die Insel in ihrer Umgebung. Der Lagerplatz zwischen den Silos wird als wandelbarer, offener Raum erhalten.

A project surrounding an apartment building in a single-family home neighborhood in Zürich-Höngg. Many single-family homes in Switzerland are structurally contradictory: built for families but increasingly occupied by older people - with a lot of space and unclear prospects. Designed to offer flexibility without radically abandoning ownership, this project is based on two synergistic systems: The existing residential building acts as a counterpart to underoccupied single-family homes in the area. Their owners can move into the shared house while the cooperative makes their single-family homes available to families at low cost. Each apartment is created in close collaboration with the former residents - memories, and atmospheres of the home are interpreted spatially. The cooperative offers a safe option - a way out - when the home no longer suits the stage of life. It respects and transforms histories and property - and tries to create space for others.

The impact of the current poly-crisis on the notion of European identity is examined and addressed architecturally in the context of the Baselstrasse neighbourhood in Luzern, which is considered the backstage of the city, a place for the outcast. Public places, infrastructure, and access to the riverfront are almost non-existent. In the first phase, the Parkhaus remains a parking garage, while only the structural elements of the uppermost floor are dismantled and used to build the river bath. In a second phase, again just the top floor elements are used to build the community building. In the last phase, like tearing up a carcass, half of the building remains standing and with the elements of the other half, an L-shaped housing volume is developed. The three buildings and the connecting bridge are not necessarily to be read as one. Nevertheless, their volumes become part of an urban composition which has characteristics of a unity.

Every year, about 500 buildings in Zurich are listed for demolition. Some of them are rented temporarily. Low-income residents are increasingly dependent on interim uses – however, demolition decided, investors don’t invest money replacing necessary utilities. Four strategies were tested: A call center, becoming amateur politicians, managing property whilst using it. One strategy was setting up a call center to reach owners of demolition-listed buildings. During long approval processes these buildings remain vacant for 303 days on average before demolition begins. During this time many are available for temporary renting. No living areas were found except for a hairdressing salon to be used from September onwards only paying utilities. The fourth strategy is acting as amateur politicians. A political campaign addressing the shortage of affordable housing. If owners are not investing in properties anymore, why should tenants pay rent? Being an architect doesn’t only mean designing but also stepping in socially and providing solutions in cases like the aforementioned.

Building on the historical context of post-WWII debris removal in Poland, my master’s thesis addresses construction and demolition waste in contemporary Warsaw. To initiate systemic change, I propose repurposing an existing landfill and its surrounding area as a testing ground for a new approach to debris disposal. By redirecting material flows to this site on the city’s outskirts, I aim to create a park composed of debris deposits. The site offers an opportunity to transform a neglected area into a space for residents and the broader Warsaw community. Designed for perpetual transformation, the park will never be “finished.” It will evolve with the climate, seasons, vegetation, and human activities while serving as a repository of historical construction materials, documenting their use and persistence over time.

High-rise buildings symbolise modernity, represent economic prowess and technological accomplishments, but must adapt to evolving social and ecological imperatives. The Sulzer high-rise, constructed as an office tower, portrayed an emblem of industrial affluence. Today, it epitomises the challenge of reimagining such monofunctional edifices for the future. The foundation for this project lies in its façade framework: it reemerges as an architectural device—the tower does not evolve from the bottom up, rather from top to bottom, mimicking a plant whose roots gradually burrow down. A steel skeleton structure reconfigures the office interiors into residential units. The transformation is also defined by principles of the circular economy: rainwater and grey water are reutilised on-site. Could this principle serve as a prototype for confronting the limitations of monofunctional office towers? Could it give rise to a system that redefines existing urban fabrics, and inspires other cities as a didactic scaffold for the future?

Anstatt einer neuen Sporthalle soll für den Turnverein Füllinsdorf bei Basel eine Logistik- und Lagerhalle umgebaut werden. Das Projekt soll eine Schnittstelle zwischen dem Sportverein als gesellschaftsbildender Institution und der Rheinstrasse als öffentlichem Raum bilden und so zur Entwicklung der Region beitragen. Das Gebäude wird entsprechend den verschiedenen Nutzungen in klimatische Zonen aufgeteilt: Räume mit erhöhtem Wärmebedarf, solche, die mit einer tieferen Raumtemperatur betrieben werden können und solche, die gekühlt werden müssen. So werden die Umkleiden mit Warmwasserspeichern durch solarthermische Anlagen beheizt. Zur Dämmung wird eine leichte, textile Hülle auf einer Holzständerkonstruktion eingeführt. Eine Pelletheizung erbringt die fehlende Heizleistung mithilfe einer Verdrängungslüftung, wenn solare und interne Einträge nicht vollständig für die Erwärmung des Gebäudes aufkommen können.

The rapidly growing settlement area in the Limmat Valley is increasingly coming into conflict with existing infrastructure, logistics and agriculture areas. Hybrid programmes can be used to generate higher density and synergies. The large area of Spreitenbach’s SBB marshalling yard is an area of considerable potential to introduce renewable energy on an existing infrastructure and to supplement it with further programmes. The marshalling yard will be expanded to include a solar and biogas power plant. Parabolic mirrors concentrate the direct solar radiation on a single point, generating process heat for the nearby industry and supporting its decarbonisation. The exposed location of the railway station allows algae to be cultivated in photobioreactors, which quickly produce large quantities of biomass. This biomass can be converted into biogas and then into electricity and process heat. Parts of the site can be transformed into a landscape park, characterised by microclimate-specific vegetation.