Hochbord

Dübendorf, Switzerland 2020–present

Client: Private client

This project is a private commission for a residential development in the heart of the Hochbord district in Dübendorf, Switzerland, a quarter shaped by decades of dynamic transformation. Amidst this urban evolution, the remaining greenhouses evoke memories of the fields that once dominated the landscape, bearing witness to the delicate coexistence of past and present.

The proposed layout carefully negotiates the boundary between interior and exterior, establishing a clear differentiation while maintaining a sense of openness. A enclosure around the periphery of the plot creates the impression of a generous garden, while the interplay between low and high buildings frames a vast internal landscape. From afar, residential towers will punctuate the skyline, creating a contemporary silhouette reminiscent of San Gimignano, bridging history and modernity in a single, striking composition.

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Visualisations 1
Visualisations 2
Visualisations 3
Visualisations 4
Visualisations 5
Visualisations 6

Drawings

Drawings 1

Site Plan

Drawings 2

Ground Floor Plan

Drawings 3

Second Floor Plan

Drawings 4

Fourth Floor Plan

Drawings 5

Upper Floors Plan

Drawings 6

Section through inner courtyard

Drawings 7

Elevation Industriestrasse

Site

Site 1

Model: a landscape of towers and low building blocks surrounding a large inner garden

Site 2

Historic photograph of the site anno 1953

Site 3

Historic photograph of the family who owns the land

References

References 1

Oriel Chamber by Peter Ellis, Liverpool, 1864

References 2

Oriel Chamber by Peter Ellis, Liverpool, 1864

References 3

Holland House by H. P. Berlage, London, 1916

References 4

Holland House by H. P. Berlage, London, 1916

References 5

The Grundtvig’s Church by Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint, Copenhagen, 1927

Credits

Location
Dübendorf, Switzerland

Date
2020-ongoing

Client
Private client

Area
88,000 m2

Caruso St John Architects
Adam Caruso, Peter St John, Florian Zierer

Project architect(s)
Julia Cramer (2025 - ongoing), Thomas Klement (2021 - 2022), Thomas Wirz (2020, 2024 - ongoing)

Project team
Lian Arnold, Deepanshi Arora, Aleksandra Cvetkovska, Lucius Delsing, Carmen Höhener, Lucia Medina, Kamen Nikov, Dongyong Oh, Silvia Pfaffhauser, Andrea Sandell, Desirée Schäfer, Ferdinand Schmidt, Matilde Torri

Structural engineer
Basler & Hofmann AG

Services engineer
Bogenschütz AG

Client project manager
Romano Partner

Electrical Engineer
Enerpeak AG

Building Physics
BAKUS AG

Façade engineering
LÜCHINGER MEYER PARTNER AG

Landscape architect
Antón Landschaft