Who is responsible for maintaining the quality of the place?

Refugees are admitted into federal asylum centres when they arrive in Switzerland. There, they can apply for asylum. They are later distributed to the cantons and from there to the municipalities. SKU Schärenmoos, a municipal collective accommodation centre commissioned by Zurich’s Department of Social Affairs, opened in the spring of 2024 as a temporary home for around 400 refugees.

Does the place serve its purpose?

Prior to its conversion, the municipal collective accommodation known as SKU Schärenmoos was an office building for the Swiss broadcasting company SRF. The building has an H-shaped floor plan that divides it into two parts. Each floor is currently dedicated to a specific group of people – for example, families, unaccompanied women and mothers with children, or unaccompanied men who have recently come of age and need more intensive support and care. In addition to the bedrooms, there are communal rooms such as playrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms.

Is the place distinguished by durable construction and little need for maintenance?

The refugee accommodation is an interim use. The building is owned by a housing cooperative that plans to start converting it into affordable housing in 2026. As much of the building fabric as possible was retained during the conversion. Most of the furniture in the common areas is still from the SRF and is being reused in the asylum centre. The new fixed improvements such as sanitation facilities, kitchens and outdoor play equipment are robust and durable. They can be dismantled and reused elsewhere.

Have public and private resources been used responsibly?

The city of Zurich is obliged to accommodate the refugees allocated to it. It wants to avoid using underground civil defence facilities in order not to place an unnecessary burden on the refugees and thus to facilitate their social and economic integration. To this end, the city has opted for temporary use, which enables it to provide sufficient accommodation despite the shortage of available housing.

Does the place bring different people together?

The refugees living at SKU Schärenmoos come from different regions of the world. It is a place of integration where residents learn German, take part in various courses and are supported on their journey in their new country. The building is surrounded by wooden benches with integrated plant beds, a street workout area for strength training, a table tennis table and a playground. All the activities are open to the public. The street workout area is also used by passers-by and local residents.

Was the place thoroughly analysed prior to the intervention?

The building no longer met today’s requirements for office space. A change of use or refurbishment was therefore inevitable. The site’s interim use as an asylum centre for almost two years gives it a practical, temporary purpose while also giving the new owner additional time for further planning. The current intervention is therefore only a transitional phase. The focus is on the refugees’ quality of life as well as the financial aspects.

Does the quality of space improve people’s quality of life?

The people living at SKU Schärenmoos are seeking asylum in Switzerland. The newly furnished accommodation certainly enhances their quality of life. The bedrooms and common rooms are bright, functional and simply furnished. Two people usually share a room, but families also live in larger rooms.

Does the design of the place take the surroundings into account?

Surprisingly, even after the conversion, the building does not look like a refugee accommodation centre. The façade, with its horizontal ribbon windows and grey spandrel panels, still has the look of an office building. The new use within the existing shell has a self-evident, serene and unobtrusive feel to it – which is certainly conducive to the accommodation’s acceptance in the neighbourhood.