Semidetached house Burenweg, Zurich

The project
The originally purely wooden building, which dates back to about 1565, was built as a double dwelling house from the very beginning. In its long building history, numerous alterations can be recorded, which, however, never fundamentally changed the basic structural substance. Thus, significant parts of the original building are still preserved. The property has been under protection since 1973. The soot-blackened roof truss, as well as the plank walls and infilled framing are to a large extent still in good condition. The house comprises a 4 ½- and a 5 ½-room apartment as well as other rooms, including an attached former washhouse, which now houses a studio.

The construction
The building envelope had to be comprehensively repaired. Timbatec was responsible for the professional implementation of the fire protection and energy measures. In addition, the building's technical installations were replaced and extended so that a contemporary standard was created. In addition, the building fabric was examined for its load-bearing capacity and upgraded where necessary.

The challenge
The old timber-framed building had to be preserved as far as possible for reasons of monument preservation. The usability and habitability were to be secured in the long term. All the wooden beam ceilings could be preserved, although they also had to be upgraded in terms of fire protection.