Producing Future
The «Zwhatt» project is a pivotal part of the broader urban redevelopment initiative within the «Bahnhof Nord» area in Regensdorf, Zurich. Originally a 21-hectare industrial zone established in the 1960s, the site has evolved from its industrial roots into a central urban area designed to accommodate approximately 6’500 residents and workplaces. The redevelopment is intended to relieve pressure on surrounding village structures by creating a dense, mixed-use environment that meets modern urban quality standards.
For a semesterproject, we, as students, were asked for ideas for «Plot F» of «ZWHATT». During the initial phase of the project, a visit to the site at Regensdorf revealed that the masterplan and surrounding buildings on Plot F were already established. The developer had outlined plans for a new replacement building focused mainly on housing. As the project progressed, the emphasis on financial targets and predefined concepts became apparent, overshadowing the subtleties and intrinsic value of the existing social and built environment. Renderings of the development portrayed «ZWHATT» as a detached entity, seemingly indifferent to its context.
We shifted the focus towards acknowledging and preserving the existing site conditions. The shed hall on Plot F was reimagined as an educational center that challenges the strict separation between planning and execution in the construction sector. This new space promotes collaboration between local construction industries and agriculture, fostering a more integrated and community-oriented approach to urban development that counters the prevailing focus on maximizing financial returns.
w/ Nina Hsu
Media Plan, Essayfilm
Format Semesterproject
Date Autumn Semester 2021
Support Professorship An Fonteyne / Assistants Els Silvrants-Barclay, Galaad Van Daele, Khensani De Klerk
Institution D-ARCH, ETH Zürich
Dokumentarfilm «Speculating on Utopia»
Regie Eva Schneuwly
Kamera Nina Hsu und Eva Schneuwly
Drehbuch Nina Hsu
Schnitt Eva Schneuwly
Interview Daniel Dahmen (Operating Manager / Forstbetrieb Altberg-Lägern)
Interview Laia Sophia Meier (Reuse Expert / Zirkular GmbH)
Interview Seraina Rohner (Carpenter / Schreinerei am Fluss Zürich)
Interview Urs Fischer (Factory Manager / KIBAG Holding AG)
Interview Willi Zollinger (Farmer / Lohnunternehmen Zollinger AG Watt)
Voice-Over Sarah Köstler
Dokumentarfilm «Producing Future»
Regie Eva Schneuwly
Kamera Nina Hsu
Drehbuch Nina Hsu
Schnitt Eva Schneuwly
3D-Animation Eva Schneuwly
Interview Daniel Dahmen (Operating Manager / Forstbetrieb Altberg-Lägern)
Interview Laia Sophia Meier (Reuse Expert / Zirkular GmbH)
Interview Seraina Rohner (Carpenter / Schreinerei am Fluss Zürich)
Interview Urs Fischer (Factory Manager / KIBAG Holding AG)
Interview Willi Zollinger (Farmer / Lohnunternehmen Zollinger AG Watt)
Voice-Over Sarah Köstler
Links
Essayfilm «Speculating on Utopia»
Documentary «Producing Future», Episode 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Public
Programm International Symposium on Film, Architecture and Urban Studies, Octobre 2022
Panel International Symposium on Film, Architecture and Urban Studies, Octobre 2022