The Hermetschloo area is one of the few sites along the Gleisfeld that remain in their original state. In the future, the site will be heavily densified. At the same time, the zone is full of strong architectural characters. How can they be adapted to become fixtures in a new district, which transport the characteristics and identity of the ‘old’ Hermetschloo into the future?

Life on earth is a precarious business. But so far, it is the only option we have. We have learned to make the most of it. But we have built too much. Centuries of over production and extraction have turned into a crisis. It is a cruel irony that our era of over extraction is being solved by doing more, not less.

More than half of residential buildings in Switzerland are single family houses. The houses and the land they occupy are the least environmentally efficient settlements yet remain the aspiration of many. Excessive energy-use from the house and the infrastructure that sustains it are just part of the widening gap between societal objectives of reducing carbon emissions and individual emancipation.