Eye-catcher on the tracks
“Im Lenz,” Lenzburg
A forward-looking quarter with residential, office, and commercial space on a former industrial complex was the subject of an urban planning competition won by our colleagues in Zurich. The project successfully combined a high quality of living with ecological sustainability and economic efficiency: The development was the third “2000-Watt-Areal” to be certified in Switzerland.
After winning the urban planning competition for four out of a total of twelve buildings, we were commissioned with the planning of the southern plots B and C. As the site is directly adjacent to the railway tracks and the station it was especially important for us to find architectural elements for this new “Urban Gateway” that could create a sense of identity. We achieved this by integrating a particular “eyecatcher” into the eastern facade of the residential and office building “Im Fokus” (Plot B): This is a huge, two-story “Urban Eye,” which enters into dialogue with the historic center across the tracks while also offering a view of Schloss Lenzburg. The complex also takes up the ridgeline of the former fabrication building, which it emphasizes with a setback in the wooden parapet. The residential building “Im Grün” (Plot C) has a facade with a complex combed plaster finish that breaks with the traditional requirements of a factory building. This softens the rigid layout and lends the building an elegant appearance.
Innovative approaches for a green city
The development guidelines for the new quarter focus on sustainable urban development. In line with the objectives of the 2000 watt society, all available resources should be used sensibly and energy consumption per inhabitant should fall by two thirds by 2100 – without any loss of comfort. The various real estate products must respond to demand, be cost-efficient, and be optimized in terms of both operations and maintenance. In order to do justice to the vision of an energy-efficient urban quarter, our architects and engineers focused on optimizing not just the building services but also the passive qualities of the building. Thanks to its central plant, the site has its own hot water and heating supply, 90 % of which is produced from wood chips and 10 % from biogas.
The dedicated “Lenz App” provides practical information about the district and its energy supply as well as encouraging exchange between the residents.
A dynamic district that is full of possibilities
“Im Lenz” is home to over 500 apartments, together with 20,000 m2 of office, commercial, and retail space with capacity for around 800 jobs. The buildings “Im Fokus,” “Im Fluss”, and “Im Grün,” which were realized on plots B and C, connect to existing buildings. The buildings built along the railway line to the south provide noise protection. These contain offices, while the buildings to the north contain apartments, together with spaces for small businesses at ground-floor level.
“Im Lenz” has been certified as Switzerland’s third “2000-Watt-Areal.” This requires the fulfillment of criteria in such areas as mobility, media supply and waste disposal, communication and cooperation, buildings and management. In addition to this, all buildings are seeking certification in line with the Minergie standard, which is notable for demanding very low levels of energy consumption and a very high proportion of renewable energy sources.
