Ernst Gisel - Cooperative Painter and Sculptor
Ernst Gisel - Switzerland
Atelier and Apartments for Cooperativ Painter and Sculptor
Wuhrstrasse 10, Zurich
1953 - 1954


The studio house on the Wuhrstrasse in Zurich was commissioned by the Cooperative Painters and Sculptors. In this cooperative artists and patrons unite
to help themself in order to fight the chronic shortage of studios in the city of Zurich. In the spring of 1952, the municipality agreed to dispose of the property in leasehold
and to finance the construction of a studio house. With this decision, the project, which already had a long history, gained mommentum. Ernst Gisel was responsible
as an architect for this project during the whole time. He made his first draft even for a piece of land in the Seefeld district. As early as 1948 this project alread obtained
journalistic support by Alfred Roth, the editor of the magazine "Werk". In his article, he criticized the current state of the residential market and called for a commitment
to studio spaces for artists.

Basically the project is divided into two main building volumes. At the Wuhrstrasse, there is located a five-story brick building. This residential tower contains
mostly apartments, but in the attic there are to be found four smaller studios. In the depth of the plot is developed a flat, two-story building designed with a shed roof.
The studios on the ground floor are connected directly to the outer space and are intended for sculptors. The painters' studios are overlying and are accessed
by means of an open gallery.