Urban Hybrid, Instead of the monolithic housing block asked for by the brief, MVRDV created a mixed, porous block with small apartment buildings at the corners, townhouses along the streets and garden and patio houses in the courtyard. The 16 different housing types, which vary in size from 30 to 130 m2 and from one to four floors, will naturally attract a mixed group of inhabitants, an important factor in creating a vivid urban environment. The project consists of 9000 m2 of housing, 2034 m2 services and 2925 m2 underground parking.
Emmen Urban Hybrid8
Each house or apartment will have its own façade colour, emphasizing its individual ownership. A pastel range of colour was chosen based on the specific colours traditionally found in historic Swiss town centres in the Lucerne area, such as Beromünster.
© MVRDV
An important aspect of the project is the high quality of construction in combination with relatively low prices. Clients will be able to buy a more or less finished house – comparable to the basic model of a new car – with options leading up to almost full fit and finish possible. Home owners with little money can therefore delay investment, or do the work themselves, and still live in a high quality, new build home.
© MVRDV
The exterior of the block is a varied urban street front whilst the interior offers the quality of a green and intimate village. The interior of the block is divided into both private and public spaces, with dividing walls used to hang tables or benches and parts of the walls which can be rotated and used for table tennis.
© MVRDV
A cohesive landscaping plan foresees a wide variety of fruit trees in the courtyard, in both the private and public areas. The garden and patio houses in the centre of the courtyard have their own entrance doors at the outer perimeter of the block. The roofs will be used for additional outdoor space. MVRDV won the developer’s competition together with development corporation Senn BPM AG, Fontana Landscape architects and Wüest & Partner real estate consulting Read more.
Architects: MVRDV
Country: Switzerland, Emmen
Year: 2013
Photographs: MVRDV
Development Corporation: Senn BPM AG
Landscape Architects: Fontana Landscape Architects
Real Estate Consulting: Wüest & Partner
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.