Züri Chocht investigates squatting as a temporary form of communal living and asks what architecture can learn from its spatial, social, and ideological conditions.
At a time when new housing and institutions are reshaping Zurich and gentrification increasingly transforms the city centre, ideological squats propose alternative and parallel ways of living. The project takes Koch Areal (2013–2023) as its primary case study, examining how its communal life was organized around shared resources such as kitchens, staircases, workshops, cafés, and rooftop spaces. These spaces were not simply provided by architecture; they were continuously appropriated, adapted, and transformed by their inhabitants.
The research focuses on temporality as a fundamental quality of squatting. While institutionalization and permanence can provide security, they can also eliminate uncertainty, spontaneity, and the possibility for collective invention. The project therefore asks: What can architects learn from temporary constructions and uses? How does temporality shape ways of living, social relations, and the development of space?
Literature, archives, site visits, and conversations with squatters formed the basis of the research. These observations were translated into architectural drawings, mappings, and spatial investigations.
“Züri Chocht” refers to ”Züri brännt”, the alternative youth movement of 1980s Zurich, while “Chocht” — cooking or boiling — directly references Koch Areal.
The project ultimately explores whether qualities that emerge under the temporary conditions of squatting can be transferred into controlled architectural environments without losing the spontaneity and collective agency that produced them.