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Wechselächer: A touch of the Orient

Unmistakable privacy and sun shading

Facts & Figures
 

Realisation: 2017

Architects: Walter Maio, Profil-Immobilien AG

Client: Profil-Immobilien AG

Region: Zurich

A village within a village

How to best integrate a new building development in a 3900-strong community? By creating a new element, as with this project, but making sure it doesn’t look out of place. There are single-family homes in the area, so the constructions of the four new apartment buildings, housing a total of 27 units, stretch horizontally instead of vertically and form a little hamlet. Each house runs over three floors and each apartment has either a roofed terrace, loggia on the top floor or garden seating area. The result: a uniform, self-contained complex.

“It is always a pleasure to work with Schenker Storen. They satisfy customers’ wishes with great speed and flexibility.”
Walter Maio, Head of Architecture and Construction Management at Profil-Immobilien AG

Walter Maio, when you look at the four houses from a bird’s-eye view, you’ll notice a lot of “holes”. What’s that all about?

Inspired as I was by houses in Asia with open-roofed rooms, I wanted to create courtyards that were still protected. Protected on the one hand from prying eyes and on the other, from the wind and weather.

How did you manage this?

With aluminium sliding shutters, for which we designed a really special hole pattern. Depending on the sun’s rays, they cast a fantastic shadow, even magical with a touch of the Far East..

Why did you decide to use sliding shutters?

For one thing, they are practical. Movable and easy to adjust, they do not just prevent too much light infiltrating, they also keep prying eyes out. Thanks to the hole pattern, they let enough light in even when they are closed and still prevent the interior from heating up. But also because of their aesthetic qualities. They fit in seamlessly with the layout of the facade as an elegant detail and give it an original, distinctive look.

Are sliding shutters a usual feature in your portfolio?

Actually, this was the first time I used sliding shutters. But it definitely will not be the last. I was completely blown away by the results: they create a truly magnificent light, are easy to operate and lend a modern look.