Client IG Immosip AG c/o UBS Fund Management (Switzerland) AG, Basel
Gross Floor Area 21‘126 m2
Team GG Feasibilitiy: Mike Guyer, Pieter Rabijns, Ivana Beljan
Palnning /Construction: Mike Guyer, Pieter Rabijns (Team/Project Manager), Ivana Beljan (Project Manager), Andy Gratwohl
General Planning Allco AG, Zurich
Landscape Architecture Lorenz Eugster Landschaftsarchitektur und Städtebau GmbH, Zurich
Cost Planning/Scheduling Allco AG, Zurich
Structural Engineer Aschwanden & Partner AG, Rüti
Electrical Engineer R+B Engineering AG, Brugg
Building Physics Engineer Lemon Consult AG, Zurich
Next to the site of the Eichhof brewery, in proximity to the municipality of Lucerne, a development with five office, commercial and residential blocks arranged around a central open space is emerging. The plot is accessed from Langsägestrasse in the south, to the north it is bordered by a sloping green space. Part of this development are the two new buildings for the Social Insurance Centre WAS (Wirtschaft Arbeit Soziales) Lucerne, which will provide its services at this central location.
A stepped ten-storey administrative building is complemented by a free-standing seven-storey building in the north. The ensemble is composed of massive sculptural volumes. From up close, the light-coloured, rendered facades with regular window openings and pilaster strips convey a nuanced sense of scale with pronounced chiaroscuro. A cantilevered portion along the entire building length on Langsägestrasse shelters the employees’ entrances and the driveway to the underground parking. Toward the north, facing the central open space, an 18-metre overhang covers recreation areas with outdoor seating and further entrances. Integrated into the stepped building volume, a patio on the second floor and terraces on the fourth and eighth floor offer green resting places.
The new building is conceived as an urban block with clear, structurally ordered floor plans, which provide easy orientation for the employees and customers of the four operational divisions. The main entrance from the eastern forecourt leads into a generous vestibule with reception, waiting and consulting zones. The adjacent central foyer is naturally illuminated by four round roof lights and is visually connected by a gallery to the conference rooms on the first floor. The seminar rooms in the south can be separated with mobile partitions, or they can be opened towards the foyer for major events. Three interior cores access the upper storeys, which offer column-free structural spans of seven metres. The office spaces are varied in terms of space and orientation, allowing for multiple usage scenarios and flexible adaptation.
Both buildings are devised as massive constructions with solid masonry facades. Placed outside the inner load-bearing brick wall is an external layer of insulating bricks. The wood and metal windows are mounted above a low parapet and flush with the inside wall face. They have large, fixed glazed elements flanked by opaque ventilation flaps. Added outer sun shading is not necessary due to the low glazing proportion and the deep reveals. On the inside, curtains provide glare protection and function as sound absorbers.
The administrative buildings (main building 3rd to 9th storey and entire northern building) follow the concept “Vision 2226” with no heating, no cooling and no mechanical ventilation. The system is based on the thermal storage capacity and phase shift of heat absorption and release of building elements. The constructive conditions for this concept are met by the well-adjusted building envelope of 75–85 cm thick solid masonry, the low glazing proportion of 18 % and the ideal room layout with ceiling heights of three metres. Ventilation and climatisation are ensured by automated ventilation flaps next to the windows, which are regulated by a site-specific algorithm within the building control system. Low-tech hardware is operated efficiently by high-tech software. For power self-supply, a photovoltaic plant is installed on the roofs.
Location Kriens, Switzerland
Programme Two administrative buildings with office space for 700 workplaces, customer areas, foyer, seminar rooms, staff restaurant, underground parking.
The main building (3rd to 9th floors) and the entire northern building are designed according to the ‘Vision 2226’ concept without heating, cooling or mechanical ventilation.
Competition 2020, 1st Prize
Planning/Construction 2020 – 2026
Client WAS Immobilien AG, Lucerne
Label Confirmation for the SNBS Certificate (Sustainable Construction Standard Switzerland)
Gross Floor Area 24‘540 m2
Team GG Planning/Construction: Mike Guyer, Christian Maggioni (Team Manager), Matthias Clivio (Project Manager), Damien Andenmatten, Christoph Lay, Franzis Gericks, Roman Vetterli
Competition: Mike Guyer, Stefan Thommen, Lukas Kübli, Dario Caccialupi, Jan Zimmermann (I)
Total Contractor From total contractor tendering: Anliker AG Generalunternehmung, Emmenbrücke
General Planning Preliminary design phase until total contractor tendering: GP WAS GmbH, Lucerne: GKS Architekten Generalplaner AG, Lucerne with Gigon Guyer Partner Architekten AG
Landscape Architecture Patio and terraces: Lorenz Eugster, Zurich
Cost Planning/Scheduling Preliminary design phase until total contractor tendering: TGS Bauökonomen AG, Lucerne
The Kantonsschule Reussbühl is situated on a knoll which is delimited to the north by the Roterwald woods and Kleine Emme river, to the south by the Ruopigen housing area. To the east it enjoys a pleasant view of Emmenbrücke. The situation is distinguished by spaciousness, nature and hills. The low, elongated new building references the traits of this location. It faces the existing main building from the 1970s, and together with this and the 1990s extension it frames an open space that serves as a versatile place for meeting, relaxing and learning and thus becomes the new centre of the cantonal school.
Various greening concepts structure the campus and create miscellaneous zones. The existing outside areas are complemented and seamlessly integrated into the densely landscaped open spaces. New plants and trees along the walkways mark the connections and improve shadowing. The enlarged biotope garden becomes a focal point and produces an image of untamed nature. On the eastern border, the new sports grounds make use of the flat topography and form a transition towards the residential district.
The design comprises the vision of a large building that unites all functions under one roof and fosters their mutual stimulation. The new building is arranged in three storeys which are spatially connected by an atrium. This provides access and serves as the building’s centre point. Through two opposing doorways on the long facades the building is entered. Multiple visual connections through the atrium into the upper storey, the lower gymnasium and the foyer of the multipurpose hall at ground level contribute to easy orientation within the building. On the upper level, the classrooms, group and preparation rooms along the facades envelop the access cores, patios and open working places. Collectively they create an extensive teaching and learning landscape. The underground level contains the gyms and changing rooms, as well as other functional rooms that receive natural light thanks to the sloping terrain.
The fire protection concept and the load-bearing structure of timber posts and beams, slender concrete ceilings and a central concrete core as well as accessible technical installations grant maximum flexibility in terms of spatial layout. On the outside, the volume is characterised by a concrete structure with circumferential protruding balconies placed in front of the generously glazed wooden facades. The building appears like a large pavilion in close relation to the scenery
Location Lucerne
Programme New building for 18 classes (550 students) with triple gymnasium and outside sports facilities, remodelling of the open spaces
Competition March – July 2022, 1st Prize
Planning/Construction 2024 – 2030
Client Finanzdepartement Kanton Luzern
Gross Floor Area 10‘976 m2
Team GG Planning/Construction: Mike Guyer, Christian Maggioni (Team Manager), Damien Andenmatten (Project Manager), Pauline Golüke
Competition: Mike Guyer, Stefan Thommen, Carlo Magnaguagno, Dylan Kreuzer, Sophie Ballweg, Vanessa Ebert (I), Thea Bonatz (I)
General Planning GP was GmbH c/o GKS Architekten, Lucerne
The CreaTower I office high-rise (40 metres) is currently under construction in the Tech Cluster Zug. Together with the CreaTower II residential building placed on a large plinth, it forms a harmonious ensemble and creates a central square.
The ten-storey block is accessed via an arcade facing the public square. The new building has an almost square column grid with a off-centre, two-part core. The bays along the façades accommodate the workplaces in various arrangements, as well as the meeting rooms and the inset, two-storey terraces. The four interior bays adjacent to the core are a place of exchange and informal meetings, with helically ascending, two-storey atriums and open spiral staircases. It is this central void, with horizontal and vertical views and varying headroom, which connects the floors into a continuous, inspiring work landscape. At the same time, the sequence of these diverse spaces gives the users a sense of scale and intimacy. The terraces feature intensive planting and are arranged in staggered pairs that spatially connect three storeys. The entrance hall with the customer centre is located on the ground floor, while the top floor houses the communal areas with a patio as a spacious outdoor lounge.
The supporting structure is a prefabricated modular construction with columns, beams and five-part vaults. The latter are only subjected to compressive loads, utilise ribs and have correspondingly slender dimensions. These are RFS ceilings that were developed by the Block Research Group at ETH Zurich during the last decade. Using a 1:1 mock-up, the vault was tested for deformations, vibrations, structural and spatial acoustics, fire resistance, building services installations, manufacture and costs, thus demonstrating its feasibility. Compared to a conventional slab construction, the column, beam and vault structure has significantly less mass and saves around 50% CO2 emissions. As the ceiling bays can be easily opened or closed during the life cycle, the load-bearing system meets the client’s requirements for adaptability. The ribs trace the undersides of the vaults, frame the acoustic surfaces and create a striking ornamental pattern that characterises the appearance of the interior spaces. On the façades, the internal vaults can be made out by the curved lintels at the openings which define the external appearance of the building.
Lecture
by Philippe Block and Mike Guyer at «15. Schweizer Betonforum», 07.06.2023, ETH Zurich «CreaTower I – RFS Decken» (PDF Download)
Location Tech Cluster Zug, Switzerland
Programme Office high-rise (40 m) with 450 workplaces,
foyer, meeting rooms, cafeteria,
ground floor with public areas: café/ bistro
Feasibility Study 2022, 1st Prize
Planning/Construction 2023–2028
Client Urban Assets Zug AG, Zug User: VZ Depotbank AG
Gross Floor Area 13‘272 m2 (competiton)
Team GG Planning/Construction: Mike Guyer, Stefan Thommen (Team Manager), Daniela Schadegg (Project Manager until Oct. 2023), Urs Meyer (Project Manager from Nov. 2023), Ivana Beljan, Urh Urbancic, , Nathalie Reiz
Competition: Mike Guyer, Stefan Thommen, Carlo Magnaguagno, Dylan Kreuzer, Sophie Ballweg
Site Management Büro für Bauökonomie AG, Lucerne
Construction Management Büro für Bauökonomie AG, Lucerne
General Planning «Generalplanergemeinschaft CreaTower» Gigon Guyer Partner Architekten AG and Büro für Bauökonomie AG
The existing housing development Brunnenhof, owned by the ‘Stiftung Familienwohnungen’, was designed by Gigon/Guyer in a competition in 2003 and completed in 2007. In response to the high demand for affordable family apartments, the development is extended to the south with a 40-meter-high building. Compared to the earlier buildings, the added apartments are arranged in a more compact way, with less space required per occupant. The new building meets the tight cost criteria of the municipal subsidy for low-cost housing.
Located directly on Bucheggplatz, the plot is flanked by Hofwiesentrasse to the south and west. To the east it adjoins the park with the Buchegg neighborhood center, and to the north the existing Brunnenhof development. The slender, 13-storey volume forms a termination for the lower slab buildings of the Brunnenhof-/Hofwiesenstrasse development as well as a prominent head-end building on Bucheggplatz. The extension continues the concept of the multi-angled existing blocks. It connects directly to the long, narrow building along Hofwiesenstrasse, angles eastwards to the park and creates a generous forecourt through an offset away from the street. A long projecting roof marks the two entrances. Together with the forecourt, this emphasizes the role of the western side as the main urban façade. To the south, the park with its large trees extends all the way to Bucheggplatz, creating an ample new approach.
On the ground floor, a lofty space for public use is oriented towards Bucheggplatz. The entrance hall on Hofwiesenstrasse provides access to the upper floors, to the community rooms and, via a multifunctional room, to the park. This creates an immediate link between the street space and the green area. The community rooms can be joined together by means of a mobile partition wall and face both the street and the park, where a tranquil outdoor area steps down towards the existing buildings. The multifunctional room and the community rooms can be connected for events and festivities.
The first and second floors accommodate office spaces. Above, the typical floors contain twenty 5.5-room apartments for large families, two on each level. All bedrooms face the quiet park. The eat-in kitchens extend along Hofwiesenstrasse between the entrance zones with wardrobes and the living rooms with corner loggias overlooking the park. Centrally placed bathrooms allow for a circulation loop, lending the apartments spaciousness. The balcony on the park side runs the entire length of the building, expanding the bedrooms on the outside and connecting them to the two corner loggias.
The design principles of the existing façades are continued in the extension: horizontal concrete strips, wood/metal windows with parapets and railings, colored glass cladding on the south, west and north façades, sliding panels of colored transparent and translucent glass as well as metal picket railings on the eastern balcony layer. The color concept for the new building is based on Adrian Schiess' continued elaboration.
Location Zurich
Programme High-rise 40 m
Ground floor: public use, community rooms, multifunctional room
1st and 2nd floor: office space
3rd to 12th floor: 20 5.5 room apartments
Commission 2020
Planning/Construction 2020–2028 ARGE Erweiterung Brunnenhof Architecture: Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer Architects, Zurich Construction Management: Güntensperger Baumanagement AG, Zurich
Awards
– Architekturpreis NRW 2024 BDA (Bund Deutscher Architekten) Nordrhein-Westfalen
– Architekturpreis 2023 BDA (Bund Deutscher Architekten) Vest Recklinghausen Gelsenkirchen
– Arc Award 2023, Winning project
A two-story wing has been added to the “Josef Albers Museum Quadrat”, situated in Bottrop’s historical park Stadtgarten. It accommodates temporary exhibitions and additional space for museum education, art storage and the workshop.
The new structure is situated to the northeast of the judge’s villa from 1913 and the museum buildings by Bernhard Küppers from the 1970s and ‘80s, which form the existing ensemble. The shape, materials and colours of the extension were chosen so that the different construction periods and their respective architectures remain legible but nonetheless form a new harmonic whole. The added volume has a rectangular footprint like the historical villa and is offset from the adjacent wing in such a way as to preserve the trees and the views to the north-east from the existing rooms. The pond, which was created after the last construction phase in the 1980s, has been moved a few metres closer to the access road, thus enhancing its presence.
Contrasting with Küppers’s steel and glass pavilions, the new extension appears as a compact structure with only a few deliberately placed openings, while its materials and colours refer to the older buildings. A cladding of powder-coated metal panels envelops the volume and forms a brim around the sawtooth rooflights. Along the outermost rooflight, the cladding tilts forward and generates a light funnel. In a similar fashion, the north-western facade partly unfolds to create a protected outdoor delivery area.
The ground floor on the Stadtgarten level contains the workshop, the art depot, an office and the library as well as the two educational rooms. The latter are accessed via the exhibition level and are oriented towards the pond.
Museum visitors enter the new tract via a connecting bridge from which a window affords a view of the park. The trapezoidal plan of the bridge makes it seem longer upon arrival and shorter on the way back.
The path through the eight exhibition rooms of varying dimensions is partly meandering and partly straight. Four large windows, one on each side of the building, enable visitors to enjoy vistas of the park, and passers-by to look into the museum. The works of art are largely illuminated from above by the sawtooth rooflights. The spatial proportions, the door and window openings, as well as the surface materials are selected to foster the perception of the art. Art takes priority: it has not simply been given more room in the extension; it has also been given “breathing space”.
Location Bottrop, Germany
Programme 8 exhibition rooms for temporary exhibitions,
Park level: Museum education, art depot, workshop, material storage, specialist library, office, building services, deliveries
Competition 2016, 1st Prize
Planning/Construction 2016–2022 ARGE Josef Albers Museum Quadrat, Joint venture of Gigon/Guyer and pbr
Client City of Bottrop, Department of Real Estate Management Occupant: Josef Albers Museum . Quadrat Bottrop
Gross Floor Area 1‘996 m2
Team GG Competition: Annette Gigon, Stefan Thommen, Sarah Haubner, Daniel Hurschler
Planning/Construction: Annette Gigon, Pieter Rabijns (Team Manager), Philippe Volpe
Site Management pbr Planungsbüro Rohling AG, Osnabrück, Germany
The office high-rise Andreasturm is situated on a triangular plot of land that has become available between the spread of railway tracks at Oerlikon station. The pentagonal tower, the property of the Swiss Federal Railways, is 80 m high, with 22 above-ground and four below-ground storeys.
Precisely placed cantilevers on the 12th floor divide the building into a middle and a head section, making it look slender or flat from a distance, depending on one’s vantage point.
An expansive base anchors the structure in its surroundings and opens it up on three levels. The main entrance with public facilities and a small, new plaza face the traffic-calmed Andreasstrasse. The premises of anchor tenant Amstein + Walthert are accessed directly from the higher railroad platform while the delivery entrance is on the lower street to the rear.
A well-appointed, double-height lobby welcomes tenants and visitors, who reach the upper stories via the lift lobby. An open staircase leads up to the first floor and the main tenant‘s reception desk. The tenant’s public spaces are arranged around a central core: a “piano nobile” with conference rooms, a gallery and a staff restaurant in the protruding portion of the base.
The skeleton of the high-rise is reinforced concrete with a double-shell element façade. Flat slabs span up to 9.30 meters between the core and the prefabricated concrete supports along the façade. The column-free spaces allow for flexible layouts and workplaces with natural daylight. The double-shell façade consists of an inner layer with slender windows that can be individually opened, and exterior glazing with horizontal parapet bands, into which copper and gold coloured inlays have been laminated, their tone varying to match the angled surfaces of the façade. The appearance of the building changes depending on the weather and lighting: at times, the tower may look like a flat, reflecting surface; at others, one can see the filigree vertical structure of the interior.
Location Zurich-Oerlikon, Switzerland
Programme 26-storey office building (4 underground, 22 above ground), 1,200 workplaces, offices, conference area, restaurant, retail, underground parking Tenants: engineering office, medical centre, start-ups, university institutes
Label DGNB Platin - Certificate by the 'Schweizer Gesellschaft für Nachhaltige Immobilienwirtschaft'
Gross Floor Area 35‘517 m2
Team GG Planning/ Construction: Mike Guyer, Stefan Thommen (Team Manager), Matthias Clivio (Project Manager basic construction), Luisa Wittgen (Project Manager tenant fitout), Christoph Lay, Nicolas Hunkeler, Christian Gammeter
Competition: Annette Gigon, Mike Guyer, Stefan Thommen, Mathias Rösner, Rodrigo Jorge, Thomas Möckel, Leyla Ilman
Site Management Ghisleni Planen und Bauen GmbH, Zurich (until Submission)
Total Contractor Implenia (from Submission)
General Contractor GGG Gigon Guyer Ghisleni Generalplaner Andreasturm AG (until Submission/ SIA Subphase 5)
Landscape Architecture Studio Vulkan, Zurich
Structural Engineer WaltGalmarini AG, Zurich
Electrical Engineer Amstein + Walthert AG, Zurich
Building Services Engineer Amstein + Walthert AG, Zurich
Building Physics Engineer BAKUS Bauphysik & Akustik, Zurich
Four new buildings were planned for the site of the former “Färberei”, or textiledyeing factory, to be constructed in successive stages in order to establish an ensemble together with the refurbished “Blue Factory”. This former industrial area is thus gradually developing into an urban residential, commercial, and office district. The elongated, cubic buildings are set into the hillside like a fan, creating flowing interim spaces that expand to form plazas. The colors of the buildings were developed during the various construction phases in collaboration with the artist Harald F. Müller.
House 1
In the long, five-story House 1, constructed parallel to the steep slope that descends down to the lake, 35 apartments are arranged in a variable mix of 3.5 to 7.5 rooms. The two floors adjacent to the Blue Factory hold flexibly dividable office spaces, while a day-care center is provided on the ground floor.
A characteristic of the single-story apartments is the arrangement of the rooms around a central living and dining area, with a connection to the kitchen. Each apartment possesses two loggias that are integrated into the building volume and extend the continuous living space toward the lake and to the south. Floor-toceiling windows enhance the sense of spaciousness. These let southern light into the rooms and provide vistas over Lake Zurich to the north and the lakeshore opposite. The outdoor spaces in the penthouses are designed as large patios that not only open to the façade, but also to the sky. Due to the hillside location, the typology changes to duplex apartments on the two lower floors. Here, the daytime area with living and dining rooms and kitchen extends over the entire depth of the upper floor, while the nighttime area with bedrooms facing the lake is situated on the ground floor.
The grid pattern of the monolithic load-bearing exposed concrete structure defines the exterior. The concrete surfaces of the façade are washed in white, while a metallic note is introduced for the components in the façade openings: in the wood-aluminum window frames, in the blinds, and in the glass parapets’ subtly reflective surfaces. Glossy silver paint was used for the elevator cores, while the concrete walls of the staircases are painted a matt yellow-green in some areas, and treated with a transparent glaze in others.
House 2 and 3
In the concluding phase of development, two further buildings, with a small park set in front, will complete the ensemble in the northwestern part of the site. In house 2 the emphasis is on smaller, low-cost rental apartments for families, while house 3 focuses on providing housing suitable for older people.
In order to make the most of the sunny southwestern side of the building, which is however exposed to noise, single-story apartments were created for house 2 with a living, cooking, and dining area that runs through the entire depth of the building but which is set at an angle. This floor plan produces a varied assortment of 48 apartments ranging in size from 2.5 to 4.5 rooms. The bathrooms, ancillary areas, and circulation cores are arranged in the central part of each apartment, dividing the living area into two spaces of equal size and hence offering flexible use. In the eastern part of the building the upward slope of the site makes it possible to offer duplex apartments on the ground floor. At the western tip of the building, facing the square, rooms for public use are incorporated into the design.
The compact footprint of house 3 allows for five 2.5- to 5.5-room apartments on each floor. Two apartments are open to the exterior on one side, facing southwest, and two wrap around the corner of the building on the southeast side. The fifth apartment, oriented toward three sides, is located on the northwest side of the building. This floor-plan configuration, incorporating apartments of differing sizes on each floor, coupled with a care facility at ground level, responds primarily to the needs of older residents.
The exterior of both residential blocks uses light beige and pebble-gray glazes. These subdued tones are complemented by brighter colors in the interior stairwells, which are lit from above via skylights.
House 5
A site in the southwestern portion of the plot, near the railway tracks and sloping down on two sides, was chosen for a six-story building with eleven condominiums. A range of variously configured single-level units was developed for this building, complemented by specially designed penthouse and duplex apartments. On the upper floors the apartments open to the exterior on three, or even four, sides, affording vistas both over the lake and to the mountain panorama in the south. Due to the steep slope of the site, the apartments on the lower stories are open only on the side facing the lake to the northeast. The design nonetheless incorporates generously proportioned outside areas for all apartments: the two upper apartments enjoy large roof terraces thanks to the slanted form of the building volume, while elsewhere in the building the apartments include either one or two loggias depending on size. In addition, the two ground-level apartments have external seating areas.
Accentuating the play of light in the stairwell, the inner-facing longitudinal wall is painted gold from the top to the bottom of the building, complemented in the entrance area by a pink-painted portion on the facing wall. The load-bearing monolithic exposed concrete façade structure is finished in a brown glaze, while all cutouts in the building volume and all façade openings, loggias, and roof terraces are left unpainted. A subtle golden anodized finish is utilized on the exterior for the wood and aluminum window frames.
Location Thalwil, Switzerland
Programme 114 apartments with partly public uses, offices, underground parking, 190 parking spaces
House 1: 5-storey new building, 35 apartments with 3.5–7.5 rooms, 900 m2 of flexibly divisible office space on two floors
House 2 & 3: Two 5-storey new buildings, House 2: 48 apartments with 2.5–4.5 rooms House 3: 20 apartments with 2.5–5.5 rooms, ground floor: space for public use
House 5: 6-storey new building, 11 condominiums, 3.5–6.5 rooms
Competition 1998, 1st Prize
Commission House 2 & 3: 2008
Planning/Construction House 1 & 5: 2005–2008 House 2 & 3: 2008–2012
Client House 1: Weidmann Management AG, Thalwil House 2 & 3: Ornak AG, Thalwil House 5: Lerch Immobilien AG, Winterthur
Gross Floor Area Total: 31'033 m2 House 2: 10‘650 m2 House 3: 4‘450 m2 House 5: 3'183 m2 House 1: 12'750 m2
Team GG Mike Guyer, Michael Winklmann (Team Manager) House 2 & 3: Cornelia Schmidt (Projekt Manager from 2010), Lucía Gratz, Anna Dreykluft, Ingo Brinkmann, Daniela Bergmann, Martin Schiess, Meret Morgenthaler, Martin Bischofberger, Christoph Dober, Alex Zeller, Griet Aesaert, Daniel Trepte House 5: Ilka Tegeler (Projekt Manager), Ingo Brinkmann, Reto Killer House 1: Esther Righetti, Marius Baumann, Stine Henckel Schultz, Hiroaki Tanaka
Total Contractor House 1: Karl Steiner AG, Zurich House 2 & 3: HRS Real Estate AG, Zurich House 5: Bauengineering.com AG, Zurich
A greenish crystalline building responds to the unusual location of the site, set between the edge of Lake Constance and Churerstrasse. Walkers and passers-by experience a glass structure that oscillates between transparency and shiny reflective surfaces that multiply the natural beauty of the setting. The architecture affords views out to the surroundings, glimpses into the building, and sightlines through it to the park and lake.
The interior offers staff and visitors generously proportioned sequences of rooms - workspaces, communication areas, and leisure zones - as well as providing space for product presentations and art exhibitions. The structure responds to the train station building with lower volumes and reacts to the expanses of the park and lake with a higher segment. There are plans to add an extension on the eastern side in a future phase of construction. Toward the street, the volumes give shape to a range of external spaces through precisely defined projections and setbacks: in the middle is the entrance area, to the east the vehicle access and workshop zone, and to the west Bahnhofsplatz, the station square, which is expanded toward the lake. Maple trees set in a perpendicular configuration characterize this space, and also continue as rows along Churerstrasse.
Approaching from the station, a broad canopy signals the main entrance. The various user groups - visitors, people attending courses, and company staff - enter the building through a large lobby and are guided from this point to the different parts of the building. On the ground floor and first floor, the public functions - training and conference rooms, as well as the restaurant - are grouped around a foyer with an open courtyard in the center and are linked by a sweeping stairway. Both the conference area and the separate exhibition spaces can be accessed directly from the exterior, allowing the option of using these areas independently from the rest of the building. The exhibition area guides visitors from the entrance to two different-sized exhibition rooms, which are located on the first floor of the southern part of the building and are naturally lit from above. The structure of the shed skylight over the exhibition spaces simultaneously supports the enormous projecting canopy over the entrance. Office space extends over four stories in the highest part of the building, which is not open to the general public. Informal meeting areas with balconies facing the lake, transparent or closed-off meeting rooms, and individual offices alternate here with open-plan office areas.
A double glass envelope encases the building. The inner layer is made up of triple glazing and metal-clad thermal insulation. The external, back-ventilated layer is composed of offset greenish glass panes equipped with a fine mesh insert with a metallic luster. This creates a rhythmically articulated glass curtain that provides protection against wind from the lake and noise from the street and also against excessive heat and cold. The predominance of glass in the building materials is continued on the roof in the form of CIS photovoltaic panels.
Location Rorschach, Switzerland
Programme Administration Building with Training and Conference Centre, 630-seat auditorium, museum, restaurant, cafeteria, hardware-shop, workshops
Competition 2009, 1st Prize
Planning/Construction 2009–2013
Client Würth International AG, Chur Owner's representative: Walter Dietsche Baumanagement AG, Chur
Gross Floor Area 32'200 m2
Team GG Competition: Annette Gigon, Luisa Wittgen, Nicolai Rünzi, Bettina Gerhold, Thomas Möckel, Matthias Clivio Planning/Construction: Annette Gigon, Christian Maggioni (Team Manager), Matthias Clivio (Project Manager), Nicolai Rünzi, Christoph Lay, Katja Fröhlich, Rus Carnicero, Yvonne Grunwald, Martin Schneider, Michael Kloiber, Brigitte Rüdel, Franziska Bächer
Site Management Walter Dietsche Baumanagement AG, Chur
Landscape Architecture Atelier Girot, Gockhausen
Structural Engineer Dr. Lüchinger Meyer Bauingenieure AG, Zurich
