manuel herz clads zurich residences with louvers that can form pop-out balconies

in a residential part of central zurich, architect manuel herz has designed a house with a striking façade comprising operable horizontal and vertical louvers. the building, which contains five residences, is located in close proximity to le corbusier’s ‘heidi weber museum’ and references the institution’s colorful metal panels and striking geometry. the design also takes cues from its bucolic setting, which is filled with a surprising array of plants, installations, and objects.

all images © yuri palmin

although the scale and organization of manuel herz’s design is comparable to the neighborhood’s other residential structures, the building’s appearance takes on a very different character. the structure’s geometrically simple form is contrasted by its dynamic façade, which lends the project its name: ‘ballet mécanique’, or ‘mechanical ballet’.

the design comprises operable horizontal and vertical louvers

the scheme comprises horizontal and vertical louvers with a rounded triangular shape, which unfold to become accessible balconies with corresponding roofs. the vertical louvers darken the rooms when closed, or provide privacy and intimacy when open. the adaptable nature of the design means that a series of temporary spaces can be created and used depending on the time of day or season.

the louvers can be closed to ensure privacy and darkness

using a hydraulic mechanism, four different types of façade elements have been installed: a moveable element with a railing that can unfold to become an accessible balcony; a moveable component without a railing that acts as a shading device; a static element that provides permanently accessible balconies; and static closed wall sections that have the same shape as the other elements.

the building contains five residences

when closed, the building presents a uniform champagne-colored, slightly metallic tone. however, the interior sides of the louvers feature a color spectrum that ranges between red and blue. this means that when the façade is opened up, a rainbow of red and blue animates the building’s otherwise monochrome façades. watch the house in action in the video at the top of this page, and see more work by manuel herz on designboom here.

when the façade opens up, a rainbow of red and blue animates the structure

the interior of the top floor apartment

the scheme’s centrally positioned main staircase

concrete has been used within the core of the building

interior view of the closed louvers and internal stairs

the brightly colored louvers are visible internally

the louvers open out to embrace the surrounding nature

the site is filled with a surprising array of plants, installations, and objects

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project info:

name: ballet mécanique
location: zurich – seefeld
use: housing (five apartments)
client: private
completion: july 2017
area: approx. 800 m2 (incl. basement)
volume: approx. 2,650 m3 (incl. basement)
architect: manuel herz architects, basel
team: stefan schöch (project lead), penny alevizou
client representative: odinga picenoni hagen AG, zürich
construction management: bühler & oettli AG, zürich
structural engineers, façade: dr. lüchinger + meyer bauingenieure AG, zürich
HVAC and sanitation planning: MAS engineering gmbh, glattbrugg
building physics, acoustics: gartenmann engineering AG, zürich
raw construction: jenny & co AG, ennenda, glarus
balcony façade: SFL technologies, stallhofen, austria
carpenter: johann rasshofer schreinerei, gmund, deutschland
metal construction: schneebeli metallbau, zürich
flooring: a1 industrieböden, zürich