Movable facade in Zurich

By Jeroen Apers – In a residential area architect Manuel Herz designed a house with a striking façade consisting of operable horizontal and vertical louvres.

The building, which contains five dwellings, is located in the vicinity of the ‘Heidi Weber Museum’ by Le Corbusier and refers to the colorful metal panels and the striking geometry of the institution. The design is also based on the rural environment, which is filled with a surprising range of plants, installations and objects. The scheme consists of horizontal and vertical louvres with a rounded triangular shape, which unfold into accessible balconies with associated roofs. The vertical slats darken the rooms in the closed state, or provide privacy and intimacy in the open state. Due to the adaptability of the design, a series of temporary spaces can be created and used, depending on the time of day or season.