Amour

Everybody has an idea how they want to live, but rarely thinks about how they want to end their life. The controversial topic of assisted suicide is presented in the urban sphere with an institution facilitating the conversation around this central question.

The film Amour, by Michael Haneke, presents a common event: the desire to not continue one’s life under certain depriving living conditions. In Switzerland it is legally possible to decide to end ones own life through multiple assisted suicide organisations. Regardless of its legality, it is still considered tabu and consequently, invisibilised in the urban sphere.

The project proposes the renovation of an existing building at Altstetterstrasse 149, Zurich, transforming it into a centre providing various programmes hosting the operative needs of assisted suicide organisations, while giving assisted suicide a presence and inclusion in daily life of the city.

A café on the transparent ground floor invites one in, allowing an informal introduction to the topic. The upper floors are designed to accommodate the process, catering to the needs of the members and caretakers simultaneously.

The atrium, through all the floors, changes in size according to the level of privacy, but still provides the building with a common entity. This interplay between visibility and privacy is further enhanced by the transparent and translucent glass façade and the greenery in front of it.