14/05/2026
RAUMTAKT has been awarded the iF DESIGN AWARD 2026 in Gold for the project «Weiterbauen im Bestand: Reihenhaus Zürich».
Regrettably, an injury kept me from the stage today, but I am proud that my team, Klodiana and Tanja, represented RAUMTAKT in Berlin.
The jury recognized the strategy of ‘Weiterbauen’ (building upon the existing) as a resource-conscious alternative to replacement, synthesizing embodied energy, baukultur, and contemporary living. Out of approximately 11,000 entries, the project was one of 75 to receive the Gold trophy.
The 1890s row house in Zürich-Binz was reduced to its primary structure and technically reinforced. To stabilize a historic settlement of 24 cm, 19 titanium piles were driven 15 meters deep into the load-bearing ground. This structural intervention enabled a new spatial disposition, utilizing a restrained palette and natural materials to clarify the interior without overforming the building’s identity.
The award confirms a core architectural stance: existing structures are not constraints, but carriers of potential.
adaptivereuse zürich gold