Zurich: Fostering Social Diversity and Community Spirit

The issues of living together and the complex relationships between housing and the city have been a constant theme in the work of the Swiss firm Müller Sigrist Architekten since its founding in 2001. Their projects explore ways to integrate housing with commercial and cultural functions in a sustainable and forward-looking manner. With the return of collectivity, the sharing economy, and participation in architecture, their work opens up new possibilities in the search for affordable living spaces that support social diversity and community life within the city.

In his lecture, the studio’s co-founder Pascal Müller will present strategies and projects united by high-quality design and an emphasis on community living: the multifunctional residential and commercial block Kalkbreite in Zurich and the “mehr als wohnen” (More Than Housing) development. While the first project uniquely connects urban life with infrastructure by building over an active tram depot, offering a wide range of typologies from cluster apartments to shared spaces, the second, in which the studio realized three buildings, serves as an example of transforming an industrial zone into an inclusive urban neighborhood.

The firm was established in 2001 by Pascal Müller and Peter Sigrist, and their work, including the award-winning conversion of the Felix Platter Hospital in Basel, has been published in two monographs by the prestigious Quart Verlag (2008 and 2021). Pascal Müller, a graduate of ETH Zurich with experience from Berlin and Ireland, has served as a guest professor at HEPIA in Geneva and at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), and regularly serves on international architectural juries.

The lecture will be followed by a screening of the documentary Brunaupark. The film chronicles the three-year struggle of residents of a Zurich housing estate who refuse to be reduced to a mere line item in an investment portfolio, facing the uncertain fate of their homes with unwavering determination.

The lecture begins at 19:00, with a film screening following at 21:00. You’ll need a separate ticket for the film, or you can take advantage of a discounted bundle for both events under the Archievening program.