Spare Room

The Hardturmbrache represents a unique condition within the contemporary city, where a temporary vacancy has evolved into a long-term urban open space following the demolition of the former Hardturm Stadium in 2008. Rather than interpreting this prolonged emptiness as a planning failure, the project conceptualizes the site as a public "spare room": an intentionally undefined space that preserves unprogramed use and accommodates evolving urban needs.

Central to the project is the notion of borders. Field observations revealed that boundaries are not limited to walls or fences but also emerge through transitions in vegetation, topography, infrastructure and ground conditions.

Rather than separating uses, these borders create spatial gradients that enable diverse social, cultural and ecological practices to coexist simultaneously.

The design strategy extends this understanding by reinforcing and diversifying these boundaries instead of erasing them. Selective de-sealing transforms extensive asphalt into a mosaic of hard and permeable surfaces, while excavated material forms gentle topographic variations that structure movement and occupation.

A lightweight network of water, electricity and drainage provides essential services without prescribing specific functions. By treating borders as productive spatial conditions, the proposal reimagines the urban void as a resilient and adaptable landscape that supports coexistence, ecological performance and future urban transformation.

Spring 2026

Project by: Marino Jenni, Winona Doutaz, Lisa Laufs, Marlen Grimm

Teaching team: Anna Puigjaner, Dafni Retzepi, Paule Perron,Valentina Noce, Ethel Baraona Pohl, Lisa Maillard, Pol Esteve Castelló, He Shen

Images 1, 4, 5, 6: Luís Úrculo

Images 2, 3: Pierre Marmy