It seems that each of the buildings in Zurich’s Uetlihof wants nothing to do with any of the others. Here, at the foot of Uetliberg, the only urban principle seems to be that of maximum indifference to one’s neighbors. Of course, what we do not see is the subterranean reciprocity that exists between each of these objects.

This project begins with an excavation. The earthen enclosure is cleared away, unmasking this ‘city-within-the-city’ and revealing the true face of the Uetlihof. In this empty moat, lateral forces pit earth and building against one another. Large, steel shorings and retaining walls enter the scene as mediators—arms and hands—that intervene, not only to keep soil and concrete at bay, but also to create new connections to the city.