Demolished in 2008, replaced by the new Entrance Building
The entrance court to the Museum of Transportation is to be newly zoned and upgraded by replacing the former garden restaurant. The courtyard not only serves to provide access to the actual exhibition area; rather, it presents a kind of interstitial space that already offers certain attractions. With the Rigi ship on one side and the new High Flyer tethered balloon on the other side, the garden restaurant forms a center and invites visitors to pause and observe.
A steel construction with sliding, horizontal sun shading and rain shielding panels is “at least in part” the actual load-bearing structure of the pavilion. Thus, it is incorporated into the steel “megastructure”. Sheet metal panels form the cladding and allow the volume to be generously opened towards the outdoor seating area in the form of large sliding shutters. Both the steel structure and the sheet metal panels are galvanized, whereby the galvanization on the panels formed an iridescent, frost-pattern-like surface.
Approximately 200 persons can be accommodated beneath the sun shading sails. The traversable roof of the pavilion, from where one can enjoy a view of the nearby goings-on and a view into the further environs, can additionally expand this area.
A self-service restaurant with hot and cold meals, as well as a beverage and kiosk area, are to be found within the pavilion itself. The restaurant space forms a highly densified, functional unit together with the neighboring service rooms. The interior of the pavilion has been clad with light-green, enameled sheet metal panels in collaboration with the artist Harald F. Müller. Outside, the sheet metal tabletops painted light yellow respond to the radiant coloration of the interior space.
Large letters on the pavilion identify the place and the building. Hardy toasts for food and drink on the back side remind visitors to the Museum of Transportation that one can take refreshments out of this shiny “box” as needs be.
In 2008, the pavilion was sold and now stands as a residential studio on the roof of the St.Gallen Sitterwerk (conversion: Flury + Furrer Architects).
