Dear Hochbauamt Zürich,
You have to speak to the health department. As Zurich City quiets down for the night, Engrosmarkt comes to life. The workers at Engrosmarkt, and other nightworkers, contribute to the city's functioning. During the day, when the nightworkers need to rest, they lack suitable housing for sleeping calmly and enjoying their leisure time. We discovered you lost potential in the Engrosmarkt building! In 1980 you pre-invested our tax money into stronger foundations and thicker columns than necessary. You lost millions and no one seems to remember! You already have the most expensive parts of a new building; the land and the foundation. These resources are available for free, you can use them to extend the structure and provide housing. This valuable land is fenced and restricted by the current Engrosmarkt operations. It first needs to be accessed.
We propose:
Access the fenced land with a public ramp and establish a surface for the citizens. Extend the preinvested columns up to 6 stories. Use the lost potential. House the nightworkers. We can go into detail, noise-whise the apartments are flexible. Inhabitants can arrange their apartments according to the time they sleep. Provide them with their own gardens. In their leisure time during the day, the inhabitants can grow their own vegetables. Connect the isolated plot to the urban fabric. Transform the dead fence into a public market. This brings the inhabitants, the Engrosmarkt and the city together. This project adds urbanity, provides new living space for the nightworkers and uses the lost potential. This plot can not only be densified in space, but also densified in time. Now you know. You already invested our tax money.
