In 2005 and 2006, Knapkiewicz & Fickert constructed an unusual building complex, incorporating around 116 apartments, on the former Site No. 2 of the Swiss Locomotive and Machinery Factory in Winterthur.
The area, in which a conversion project has been thought since 1991, was characterized by impressive industrial buildings, separated by narrow passages.
The initial idea was to demolish everything and build ex novo. Afterwards a new vision was established: progressively renew the site, large as the nearby old city centre, maintaining the post-industrial character.
The new residential buildings take up the layout of the old factory buildings and, for the most part, also their volumes. Sections of the existing factory halls were integrated into the new residential complex as part of the rigorous conversion of the entire industrial site.
The new complex integrates a former assembly hall transformed into a meeting place.
Converted and newly constructed buildings often interweave seamlessly with the existing supporting structure. The residential units range from two-room studios to six-rooms apartments.
A wide spectrum of apartment types are included: maisonettes with a front garden or roof terrace, modern and unconventional single-storey apartments with a central kitchen, elegant apartments with a large open-plan living area and loft apartments with children‘s bedrooms.

[project selected by Camilla Dandrea]