Wohnhaus Greifensee
Justus Dahinden's masterpiece from 1967 makes us smile. Slightly elevated above Greifensee, the residential building stands free in the landscape on a 4,338 m2 plot. The multipart, pitched copper roof covers the different parts of the building, which are connected to each other: the roof structure feels like a mountain range that blends naturally into the rolling hills. Architecture can enhance a place and a landscape, here this becomes evident. The supporting structure of the roof is a beautiful timber construction, supported by an exposed concrete base and brick walls.
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SoldJustus Dahinden (1925–2020)
"The sensual qualities of architecture affect people’s emotions and thus indirectly their souls," stated Swiss architect Justus Dahinden, renowned for his visionary, holistic approach to design. In his constant quest for harmony between individuals and communities, as well as between architecture and its context, Dahinden merged archetypal shapes like domes, spheres, and pyramids with innovative technologies and ecological consciousness. From his early Zelthaus on the Rigi (1955), he experimented with inclined surfaces, crafting what he named "Kosmoformen," shapes able to connect people with the cosmos. Notable projects include Munich's Schwabylon shopping center (1974), Zurich's Trigon village (1966-1969), and the iconic Ferrohaus (1965-1970), alongside numerous church designs in the 1960s. Appointed professor at the Technical University of Vienna in 1974, Dahinden received honorary doctorates and awards, including the Grand Prix d'Architecture du Cercle d'Etudes Architecturales in 1981 for the Twannberg vacation center. His vast legacy, comprising numerous completed projects worldwide, as well as avant-garde visions and writings, continues to influence a generation of architects globally.
A generous, humane, free way of life
Generous with its 345 m2 of net living space, bold and relaxed – integrated in an exemplary manner. This masterpiece by Justus Dahinden, although outstanding in terms of design, is not a statement of ego. When entering the 'mountain' – the roof – which is also part of the façade, you are greeted by a spatial continuum in wood. The construction is divided. Walking through the house we encounter different zones: social, semi-private, very private, formal, informal. Extroverted or absorbed in the contemplation of the landscape, the Greifensee residence offers its inhabitants a high quality of living. The sleep and retreat zone with the main bathrooms is slightly elevated above the living area.
The happy intervention by Buchner Bründler
The aim of Buchner Bründler's renovation was to create more openness and light and to remodel the kitchen and bathrooms. The character and design features of the villa have been preserved, accentuated and rearranged: the interventions of the renowned Basel architects are clearly visible, yet similar in nature. They are in a dialogue with Justus Dahinden's world of ideas. The materiality of the existing clinker floors has been continued: wall-to-wall ceramic tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms. New full-height windows open the natural space to the east and the agricultural zone. The casement windows in the kitchen can be fully opened. Buchner Bründler's constructive and scenographic interventions have further intensified the already rich variety of spatial impressions and light situations. A happy conversion for a free lifestyle.
The kitchen floor is made of hard concrete, which flows from the interior to the new terrace. The theme of connection in the kitchen and bathrooms echoes that of the brick walls. The ceramic wall panels are connected in a similar way: slightly overlapping and interlocking. The colour scheme is new: in the kitchen the ceramic is blue-green, in the bathroom a dark turquoise with a soothing effect was chosen. These colours harmonise with the concrete of the floor, which in the kitchen was further used for a working block of the same grained concrete. In the bathroom, the tub and washbasins are cast from the same concrete. The oak of the kitchen fronts echoes the materiality of the original fixtures. In the west wing, the living area, a black polished hard concrete floor lends a sense of calm to the spatial sculpture and contrasts with the console-like wooden roof, brick walls and oak panelling.
Location/surroundings
25 minutes to Heimplatz, the heart of Zurich, less to the airport. Wildsbergstrasse in Greifensee enjoys an exceptionally privileged location in the heart of the city. The wild reed landscape of the protected Greifensee shore zone partly borders the property to the south-west. The lake is unobstructed from the front of the villa. To the rear, towards the north-east, there is a gentle climb to the highest point of the property, with uninterrupted views over the gently rolling agricultural zone with tall fruit trees. The buildings in the immediate vicinity are of the same period as Dahinden's grandiose villa: understated, mainly in exposed concrete and brick. One imagines oneself to be in the countryside rather than in the urban surrounding of Zurich.
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