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Climate tower for the Brunnenhof school extension in Zurich. 2024-2030. Open competition – 1th prize. Landscape architecture: Michel Frey Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH. Timber structure: PIRMIN JUNG Schweiz AG. Structure: dsp Ingenieure + Planer AG. Building Technology: Amstein Walthert. Acoustics, building physics, Sustainability: Raumanzug GmbH. Renderings: Olivier Campagne. Reference image credits: Outdoor school, Suresnes, 1935, Le Musée d‘histoire Urbaine et Sociale de Suresnes, Paris. The Zurich Brunnenhof School, housed in the former Swiss Radio Studios, will be extended under strict guidelines to meet the Net Zero goal. The new construction, entirely made of timber, is arranged as a stack of volumes without all above ground. It includes two classroom clusters, multi-purpose rooms, two sports halls, and a rooftop outdoor sports area. The compact, 30-meter-high tower forms an urban ensemble with the surroundings, particularly complementing the heritage-protected 1970s building by Max Bill. This design creates a new address on Hofwiesenstrasse, where an expressive core with vertical accesses defines an additional school entrance. The design extends the limited area available for outdoor activities by incorporating thematic gardens around and up the new tower. The building’s regulation-driven bold appearance is balanced with an adaptive, performative facade, which is to be planned to incorporate the city’s rapidly changing and cataloged resources for reuse

Future school in car-parking for Innovationspark Zurich. 2023. Selected competition. Structure: Dr. Ing. Mario Monotti. Building Technology: Amstein Walthert. Renderings: AIVA Images. Reference image credits: Marco Cappelletti / Filip Dujardin

Infrastructure for workshops and offices for Innovationspark Zurich. 2023. Selected competition. Structure: Dr. Ing. Mario Monotti. Building Technology: Amstein Walthert. Renderings: AIVA Images. Reference image credits: Brinkman & Van der Vlugt, Van Nellefabriek

Low-tech office building in St. Gallen. Since 2022. Direct commission. In collaboration with Waldburger + Partner. Structure: Seger Ingenieure. Building Technology: HHM. Building Physics BB&A

Extension of an apartment building. 2020-21. Direct comission. Structure: Aschwanden & Partner. Timber Engineer Renggli. Building Physics gae. Building Technology 3-Plan Haustechnik. Timber Construction Kost Holzbau. Photography: Oliver Cretton. The residential building from the 50s has been raised to create two 3.5 room apartments within the maximum volume allowed by the building code. The cross laminated timber floor elements span the width of the structure to transfer the loads into the exterior walls of the existing building. In order to reduce the construction time to the minimum, the wooden building elements were entirely prefabricated and were assembled within four days. All wiring has been planned in 3D and inserted into milled recesses in wooden components

Modular school in Chablais. 2021. Open competition – 4th prize. In collaboration with Jan Kinsbergen and David Klemmer. Structure: Dr. Ing. Neven Kostic. Landscape: Proap – Estudos E Projectos De Arquitectura Paisagista. Renderings: Studio Diode. The construction principles define the volumes and shape the character of the interior, as the building method with serial prefabricated elements remains visible, without cladding. The proposed modular concept consists of columns, panels and diagonal elements. The composite panels of 2.38m x 7.14m are placed on four wooden columns to form tables that are lined up or stacked to form the space. A truss construction of wooden diagonals stabilizes the whole and allows large spans to be bridged

Flexible university building ETH HIC. 2019. Selected competition. In collaboration with Jan Kinsbergen. Structure: Dr. Ing. Mario Monotti.  Building Technology: Amstein Walthert. Climate consultant: Transolar. Renderings: Studio Diode. The required versatile use of the building forms the basis of the architectural concept: the structure is flexible not only horizontally, but also vertically. Perforated concrete slabs float above one another in a minimal tensegrity structure. Vertical loads, acesses, electrical und plumbing systems are guided openly through the perforations. This creates an optimized balance ecologically and financially in terms of radically reduced material usage. The load-bearing tensegrity system is consists of minimal concrete slabs with steel rods in compression and steel cables in tension. Alternating angles and positions of the supporting elements result in large, continuous and column-free areas on the different floors. The perforations are filled with light, prefabricated wooden elements as required for the functions of the spaces. The connections between elements are mainly mechanical, so the building can be disassembled into its individual parts and returned to the recycling cycle

Bio After graduating from the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio and gaining professional experience at Jan Kinsbergen and Pascal Flammer offices, João Lourenço dos Santos and Marija Urbaitė founded URBAITE studio in Zurich. Through research work and professional practice they are engaged with the tensions and contradictions intrinsic in the field of architecture. Currently, they are focused on planning educational, residential and office building projects in neighbourhoods lacking distinct identities, and aim to implement adaptable constructions where space and structure are intricately intertwined

Academic since 2022 Research Associate at USI Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio. Chair of Dr. Prof. Mario Monotti / 2024 Tutorship. University of Antwerp. International Design Week / 2023 Guest critic. University of Genova. Atelier Philipp Wündrich / 2022 Guest critic. University IUAV. Laboratorio Michel Carlana / 2022-2023 Research Associate. Technical University of Munich. Chair of Prof. Jeanette Kuo

Publications Drawing Matter / Dixit #4 – Edited by Simon Campedel. Editorial coordination: Juliette Pochard. Project: ETH HIC. Construction: Jan Kinsbergen, URBAITE.STUDIO, Mario Monotti. Image: David Klemmer. Graphic design: Spassky Fischer with Lucas Lejeune. Published by Caryatide. July 2022. Bilingual edition (English and French) 23 x 30 cm (softcover) 64 pages (ill.) ISBN: 9782493283108. / Always work in progress. Organisation Caryatide. La galerie d’Architecture Paris. 2021 / The Architect’s Atlas – Series Mendrisio Academy Press. Edited by Bruno Pedretti. 2015. Binding Paperback. Size 17 x 24 cm. Pages 252. Illustrations 160 color, 120 in b/w. Language Italian and English. 2016. ISBN 9788836634569. / Atelier Bearth, Microcosmi – edited by Mihail Amariei. 2012. 20 x 24 cm, 352 pp. 500 ill. col. and b/w hardcover. English and Italian. ISBN 9788887624564

Exhibitions/Installations Physical Digital. University of Antwerp. 2024. Photography: Felix Waldner. The pervasive feeling of malaise and existential emptiness, which is central to the theme of alienation, serves as a symptomatic manifestation of contemporary life. This phenomenon consistently surfaces when examining issues like labor conditions within capitalist societies, leisure and consumption, disconnection from nature, and the all-encompassing impact of technology on our daily existence. Today, we are witnessing the exacerbation of this troubling condition due to our increasing and paradoxical isolation within hyper-connected societies. The migration of public spaces to the digital realm has transformed us into profitable data streams and faceless commentators. Considering our inherently social nature, face-to-face communication has always been a cornerstone of human interaction. However, what are the repercussions for our societies when physical presence is anathematized? / Always work in progress. Organisation Caryatide. La galerie d’Architecture Paris. 2021. / Feÿ Arts Festival. Villecien, Burgundy. 2019. Installation in collaboration with Myriam Treiber, Sergio Torres, Emanuelle Agustoni

Team Maksim Cuturilo, João Lourenço dos Santos, Yiyang Li, Lukasz Palczynski, Marija Urbaite Contacts Steinstrasse 65 – 8003 Zürich / info@urbaite.ch

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