Elsastrasse
Belt & Suspenders
How can you trust someone with a belt and suspenders?
With respect to attire, composite support systems are redundant and suspect; yet, for architecture, it seems the opposite is true—amalgamated structures can reduce complication and increase consistency.
Here, two discrete towers are given a belt, creating a defined, yet unobtrusive ensemble. The expanding, cross-axial buttresses and columns suspend the floors, but also generate the nine-square plan. The smaller tower shares a party wall with the existing Genossenschaft, creating continuity; the larger tower defines Elsastrasse by giving it a centre.
![](https://lehnerer.arch.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/JM_Site-plan-e1484755748777-1024x755.jpg)
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![](https://lehnerer.arch.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/JM_Elevation_02-1024x308.jpg)
![](https://lehnerer.arch.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/JM_2nd-floor-1024x334.jpg)
![](https://lehnerer.arch.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/JM_Floor-Plans-1011x1024.jpg)
![](https://lehnerer.arch.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/JM_Section-1024x630.jpg)
![](https://lehnerer.arch.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/JM_Ground-floor-1024x555.jpg)
![](https://lehnerer.arch.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/JM_Interior-of-an-apartment-1024x692.jpg)
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