Energy-sipping Concrete Zurich Prefab

In this year’s February issue, Dwell detailed a minimalist concrete Zurich prefab built for “Spartan-minded” clients Christof Meili and Farzaneh Moinian. The Swiss home was designed by Felix Oesch, who oriented the home south, away from the noise of a nearby road and towards emerald views a nearby river. The home’s entrance is framed with a heavy timber door, which opens into a large kitchen, dining and living space with panoramic views of the Rhine and woods. Down banisterless stairs, visitors descend into the first floor, which hosts a pair of bedrooms. Using a prefab design method popular for basement construction, the home was built in nine months from twin panels of 2.4-inch concrete. The panels sandwich a concrete and insulation filling and were cut and mitered for fixtures and fittings off-site. Two 300-foot-deep “boreholes” harness geothermal energy for under-floor heating and hot water. [via dwell and materialicious, photos by Hertha Hurnaus]