Strange construction project in Zurich – a child’s room like a cell: the court stops the construction of an underground house
A child’s room like a cell: the court stops the construction of an underground house
A private builder will completely sink his house into the ground. Now the Zurich Building Course Court is revoking the permit. Whoever lives in a “bunker-like” house can feel isolated and locked in.
Spaces in which people are staying and with sufficient light: In the case of an underground house, this is not the case, the building course court holds and cancels the building permit. (Symbol image)
Photo: Keystone
With its ruling published this week, the building course court cancels the building permit for the special house, which the responsible building authority of a Zurich municipality had issued in the summer.
The plans provided for the construction of a subterrain house. The residential use – three rooms, a living room with kitchen, two bathrooms and a cellar compartment – would have been limited to a floor of a good 100 square meters. Only the entrance and three skylights for the rooms and a 16 square meter glass roof for the living room would have been visible on the surface.
Various neighbors appealed against the approved project. THEY complained about an inadequate classification of the house: Even if it were to lie practically completely below the surface of the earth, it would also appear above the surface. They also argued that it was difficult to live in the new apartment.
Long light shafts darken rooms
The housing hygiene conditions in the subterrain house, as is currently planned, would in fact be deficient, the construction course court now ruled in the judgment that is not yet final. In accordance with the cantonal planning and building law and rooms that are intended for people to stay in, have sufficient light. Living rooms, bedrooms and windows that are above the ground and lead to the outside, the window area must correspond to at least one tenth of the floor area.
The building course court admits that the planned skylights would make up exactly ten percent of the room areas below. However, there is a distance of up to 1.64 meters between the ground-level glass surface and the ceiling below. In contrast to a normal roof window, the incident light cannot penetrate the room unhindered. In view of the long shafts, the court writes of “insufficient incidence of light”.
To make matters worse, the two children’s rooms would only have an area of seven square meters. Due to this small size, the already prevailing bunker-like atmosphere in underground rooms is reinforced.
A feeling of being locked in
The court criticized the project for fierce: “In combination with the only 0.7 large skylight, which is more than four meters above the room floor at the end of a shaft up to 1.64 meters long and serves as the only natural light source, this becomes a A space that is more reminiscent of a basement or a prison cell than a bedroom and children’s room. “
People who were dying in these underground rooms are completely sealed off from the outside world. A look outside is only possible if you stand directly under the light shaft and look straight up. A feeling of isolation and confinement could develop, which could seriously impair mental well-being in the long term.
The private client submitted that he had “apparently lower demands than other people” in this regard. The court does not accept this argument; it cannot be ruled out that other people might one day live in the house.
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