House Khedoori Weber, conversion
The existing two-storey detached house with an underground garage is situated in the leafy residential area of Zürichberg and was initially occupied by the
client and his first family. The house was built in 1964 by the Zurich architect Edwin Schoch as part of a building complex and is regarded as a testament to
post-war modernist detached house construction.
The conversion project involves extending the above-ground building volume by 80 cm towards the south, thereby creating space for four bedrooms on the upper
floor instead of the previous three. This has enabled the creation of a home with a character specifically tailored to the needs of the five-member patchwork family.
In addition, an underground extension was created for the new resident, the internationally active artist Rachel Khedoori, to house a spacious studio,
whilst energy-efficient refurbishment was implemented using a ground-source heat pump including free cooling.
In particular, the client’s desire for floor-to-ceiling windows has given the building a new aesthetic. Vertical louvres made from hollow aluminium profiles,
which can be flexibly arranged to provide sun protection, take account of the building’s exposed south-facing position, which would otherwise cause the house
to heat up unbearably in summer. The entire house is now insulated on the outside and clad with a thin, rear-ventilated aluminium sheet façade, which
creates a lively, slightly undulating surface. This is a tribute to the Aluminium House by A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey, built in 1931 in California, where
Rachel Khedoori lived for some time. The choice of materials and design language draw on themes of post-war modernist architecture, such as aerodynamic forms
from the aviation industry.
Inside, simple, raw materials are predominantly used, representing an unpretentious yet visually sophisticated aesthetic concept.
The raw, unfinished white plaster surfaces of the walls and the copper elements of the fireplace, the kitchen and the handles of the bespoke furniture reveal
traces of the craftsmanship involved and, over time, develop a patina that does justice to the material. Coloured walls in the bathrooms and coloured built-in
furniture add atmospheric touches. This lack of perfection is deliberately staged and can be read as a commentary on today’s fixation on perfection, particularly
in investment-driven architecture.
