Das Bullauge als verbindendes Element zwischen Wohnraum und Bad im Loft Zürich.

A timeless design update for a loft in Zurich

10/22
Hauptbad im Loft Zürich

A porthole connects the main bathroom with the living room, giving unexpected outlooks at the place where a mirror usually hangs.

Known for its careful handling of the existing, the city of Zurich had a former industrial area revitalized into a vibrant district, the trendy district Sulzer-Escher-Wyss. The project realized in the former factory hall with the name "Schiffbau" not only includes a conversion concept for the old factory hall, but is also a good example of a sensitive further construction of the area.

The architects of the architectural office Ortner & Ortner supplemented the existing building with a new building for the workshops, rehearsal stages and offices of the Schauspielhaus and also enabled the integration of three residential floors in the middle of the complex. During the conversion of one of these multi-storey residential lofts by the architectural firm Huggenbergerfries, Dornbracht products were used in the kitchen and bathrooms, which support the demanding balancing act between old and new, future and origin.

Bathroom with "Black & White" concept

Gästebad im Loft Zürich

The guest bathroom also takes up the high-contrast colour scheme, with the Meta basin fitting from Dornbracht.

When renovating the duplex apartment, two premises were formative: a sustainable use of resources and the effort to preserve the finesse of the existing building and make them visible. The balancing act between preserving the architectural substance on the one hand and continuing the story on the other required abstraction and precision. The largest structural interventions in the two-storey living space were the uncovering of the exposed concrete ceiling and the striking steel girders, which allude to the industrial charm of the area. In reminiscence of the former shipbuilding production on site, two porthole-shaped openings were also integrated on the upper floor. This created new visual relationships that enable a dialogue between the rooms including a surprise effect: One of the portholes is now connecting the large bathroom with the living room and allows the viewer unexpected insights and views at the place where a mirror usually hangs.


In the course of the conversion, the clear design language of the main bathroom was slightly adapted and exaggerated by a simple and effective trick: White paint now covers the formerly colorful mosaic tiles and MEM fittings from Dornbracht complement the clean aesthetics. The existing flush-mounted products from the year 2000 remained in place and were only equipped with the new fittings. Since this also works across design lines, the MEM valve with its elementary aesthetics could be mounted on the former flush-mounted structure of the archetypal Tara.


There, in the main bathroom, in keeping with the "Black & White" concept of the loft a MEM faucet in matt black sets the scene for the black-grey washbasin, while a MEM in matt white elegantly adorns the bathtub. This impression is reinforced by the precise demarcation of the black-grey furniture from the white surfaces and accentuated by the lighting. The faucet series (Sieger Design) takes formally a step back from its clear design language and directs the eye with its flowing silhouette to the most original form of water presentation.

Dialogue of the fittings in second and guest bathroom

Ton-in-Tim im Hauptbad im Loft Zürich

Toning in: MEM fittings from Dornbracht.

The black-and-white concept also continues in the second bathroom. There, in the backdrop of an abstract white room, the newly integrated Dornbracht rain shower head in matt black unfolds its full effect. The guest bathroom, too, follows the maxim of creating new worlds with minimal measures. The respective background forms the stage for the dialogue of the fittings, in which a Meta faucet in matt black is used in the shower with dark grey framing and on the washbasin with white tiles. Other Dornbracht accessories fit seamlessly into the colour concept and make the bathroom look as if from a single cast.

 

Finally, a Dornbracht faucet was also used in the kitchen: the new Tara Ultra kitchen faucet. In harmony with the existing Bulthaup kitchen, the professional single-lever mixer in matt platinum signifies the new, while the glass blocks reminisce the industrial history of the surrounding architecture.