153 Nidelbad Rüschlikon

(Sound: voices on the village square, a bell chiming occasionally, footsteps on gravel, children in the park)

VSa: Do you remember our first walk through Nidelbad? It already felt full of character — a place with a community, not just a programme.
noAa: Yes. It felt lived-in. That’s why we didn’t want to erase anything. We began with trust: in what exists, in its variety and contradictions. We see buildings as identities, placed into dialogue.
West: And we trusted what has grown over time — buildings, paths, trees, habits. Those traces form a collective memory.
VSa: That connects directly to the foundation’s goal of a caring community. Architecture can’t create it, only support it.
noAa: Support it carefully, but with courage. A caring community accepts diversity. This project isn’t one gesture, but many characters.
West: And they need a stage.

(A brief pause; footsteps pass nearby, then recede; ambient sound of the park continues)

VSa: The village square.
West: Yes. A square for everyday use and events — markets, encounters, sitting in the shade, small festivals. The bell tower anchors it. Trees, furniture, public spaces in the old an new buildings give a sense of enclosure and invitation.
noAa: But how does it stay open to the community, not over-designed?
West: By being a framework, not a script. It must allow unplanned use. That’s what makes it public.
VSa: And then there’s the other centre — the park. Not paved, but soft. Community here happens between the buildings.

(Children’s voices drift in and out; a stroller rolls over the paving)

noAa: The park isn’t background; it’s the main character. Buildings should frame and protect it, not dominate it.
VSa: That’s clear in your sequence along Quellenweg.
noAa: Three residential buildings, connected by two low passage volumes — the Orangerie and the Lemonerie. The buildings are distinct, but the passages make the ensemble porous. They’re not corridors, but rooms in the landscape.