The structural design of the house was made by A. Urech, Zurich. It is a standardised two-storey building which can be used for residential or office accommodation. The upper storey, comprising residential or office accommodation together with sanitary facilities, has no internal supports but is raised on external steel columns. The residential design has a cantilevered balcony at one end. The recessed bottom storey contains the heating plant and the spiral staircase to the upper floor.
The upper storey is rectangular in plan 16.80 x 8.00 m with storey height 2.80 m and ceiling height 2.40 m.
The elevated structure is supported by four external columns fixed in foundation pockets. It cantilevers at both ends and is composed of four storey-height lattice girders in the external wall planes. Transverse beams span 7.80m between the lattice girders of the longitudinal walls at roof and floor level. At both these levels the framework is stiffened with horizontal cross-bracings (40x10 mm rectangular section or 40 x 40 x 4 mm angle). Wind forces are transmitted to the foundations through four external columns. The external columns are rectangular hollow sections, 300 x 150 mm, spaced at 11.20 m centres in the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal facades are divided into four panels by uprights spaced at 2.80 m centres between the external columns, plus one cantilevering bay at each end of the building. The ends comprise two panels, the uprights being spaced at 3.90 m centres.
Aluminium cladding consists of 50 mm thick sandwich panels (93x280 cm) incorporating plastic windows or fixed glazing set in rubber gasket strips. The cladding panels also serve as fire protection to the external structural steelwork.
Notes:
balcony n. áàëêîí
gasket n. óïëîòíÿþùàÿ ïðîêëàäêà