The flow of the urban fabric of Oberstrass runs from southeast to northwest. This basic rule does not do justice to the special nature of Guggachstrasse: in the future, it will be more of a promenade than a street, as it is so wide and lushly lined with trees. This makes it such an attractive, prestigious address that the adjacent settlements should definitely be oriented towards it. For this reason, the two southern edges of the settlement will be open and permeable in the future. This will result in a radial basic layout of the buildings. The buildings are already radial today – but in the future they will fan out towards the sun instead of towards the noisy Bucheggstrasse. The continuous, park-like green space will be preserved. Curved paths lead from all directions to the new center, where the community room, a neighborhood garden, and a large playground are located. The capillary network of paths connects the settlement at pedestrian level with the neighborhood and counteracts the «island urbanism» of many replacement housing developments.
In the acoustic shadow of the old houses, new houses do not have to take street noise into account. That is why the old houses remain on the street – behind them, the new houses can be generously opened up to the outdoors. This makes the new houses more compact and economical than the usual noise-type houses. In this way, the distinctive, flowing open space of today is preserved, and living remains truly affordable.
The mix of small and large apartments around the same stairwell promotes a neighborhood of different lifestyles and ages. In addition, the non-load-bearing interior walls allow for adjustments to the apartment layout throughout the entire life cycle. The rooms are densely packed around the building core. From here, a sequence of rooms develops across the corner, becoming increasingly open and light the closer it gets to the façade, culminating in the large loggia. This loggia is a veritable green room, where one can sit just as comfortably on rainy days as on sunny winter days. It lends the pragmatically and economically designed apartment a sense of splendor and spaciousness.
