Student Village, Science City ETH Zurich

The three six-story buildings on the Science City campus of ETH Hönggerberg are particularly striking. Together they form the “Student Village”, a total of 490 living units divided into shared accommodation as well as individual studios. With a leafy inner courtyard and a range of common spaces, the sinuous building complex offers plenty of space for contact. Workplaces for the students further enliven the campus.

“The three interlocking buildings have a sweeping outline. They create a series of diverse spatial sequences that form a rhythmic, varied open space,” say the architects.

The three buildings force a transformation from the outer setting – the institutional part of ETH – to the inner, that is, the students’ living space. The outer facades are straight, and it is only in the inner courtyard that you notice the curving sweep of the buildings.