Oberglatt Gymnasium Extension / kit
After a fire destroyed the foyer of the gymnasium in Oberglatt, Switzerland, the city council asked for a new extension to the remaining parts of the building. The proposal by kit architects, which took the second prize in the competition, seamlessly connects to the existing structure, through program, space and form. Old and new dissolve into one, giving the building from the 70ties a distinct new identity. More images and architects’ description after the break.
In Progress: Messe Basel / Herzog & de Meuron
The modernization of the Messe Basel is making progress. Developed by Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron on behalf of the MCH Group, the project aims renew the existing exhibition space and become a popular destination for pedestrians and foreign visitors. The new multifunctional exhibition building is scheduled for completion in 2013.
Architects: Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd., Basel
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Client: MCH Messe Switzerland AG, Basel, Switzerland
Project Area: 141,000 m2
Construction Period: 2010 – 2013
Photographs: Courtesy of MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd.
Continue reading for more images, renderings and information.
Musicians’ Apartment House / Buol & Zünd Architekten
Architects: Buol & Zünd Architekten
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Project Team: Matthias Aebersold, Martin Schröder, Silvio Schubiger
Site Area: 3250 sqm
Photographs: Michael Fritschi
ICE (Innovation Community Emmen) / RD2B Limited
Inspired by the Swiss glaciers and taking advantage of their history, the architectural firm rd2b limited created Emmen Innovation Community, an innovation center located in the region of Emmen, in Zurich, located in the heart of Switzerland. Roads, railways, public transportation and an airport connect the area to Europe. Bluish in color, a solid line through organic and deployments to the territory, the aesthetics of the design reflects the elegance, harmonizing and transcendence of the glaciers. More images and architects’ description after the break.
“Chapeau” / Michel Carlana, Luca Mezzalira, Curzio Pentimalli, Riccardo Sanquerin
“Chapeau”, a sports park and new urban place for the woods is characterized by an unprecedented relief, introduced in the process of design thinking related to soil and the empty space it creates. The buildings that make up the urban landscape, perfectly calibrated on the urban fabric, have complicated the delicate choice of the approach and the relationship to the existing building of the hall. Early in the project, the intention of Michel Carlana, Luca Mezzalira, Curzio Pentimalli and Riccardo Sanquerin was to integrate the gym in the environment in a local sense. By isolating it from the front of the hall, the building became one of the five elements of life. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Schuler Villa / andrea pelati architecte
Architects: andrea pelati architecte
Location: Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Project Team: Andrea Pelati, Raphaël Fromaigeat, Anna Popek-Schmalstieg, Sandy Erlebach
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 690 sqm
Photographs: Thomas Jantscher
Tamina Thermal Baths / Smolenicky & Partner Architecture
Architecture: Smolenicky & Partner Architecture
Location: Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Roland Bernath, Walter Mair
Bamboo Residency / group8
Architects: group8
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Project Area: 14,000 sqm
Project Year: 2007-2011
Photographs: Régis Golay, FEDERAL STUDIO
ICRC Logistics Complex / group8
Architects: group8
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Client: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Project Area: 11,500 sqm
Project Year: 2008-2011
Photographs: Régis Golay, FEDERAL STUDIO
Locarno House / designyougo
Architects: designyougo
Location: Solduno, Switzerland
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 178 sqm
Photographs: designyougo
In Progress: New Theater Equilibre / Dürig AG
Architects: Dürig AG
Location: Fribourg, Switzerland
Photographs: Courtesy of Dürig AG
The project is the result of a competition won in 2001 for a new theater in the city center of Fribourg. The project will be completed at the end of 2011 and its auditorium is going to provide 700 seats for spectators.
House in Rüti / AFGH
Architects: AFGH
Location: Rüti, Switzerland
Project Leader: Barbara Schaub
Planners: CES Bauingenieur AG, Seewen SZ, GLB Zürich Land, Hinwil ZH, GLB Zürich Land, Hinwil ZH / Gadola Fassaden AG
Project Year: 2011
Photographs: Valentin Jeck
Canton School Chur Proposal / Marc Anton Dahmen & Studio DMTW
The building authority of the canton Graubünden set up a competition for an extension of the local school complex in Chur, including a new media centre (‘Mediothek’), a cafeteria and an additional building for new lecture halls.
In order to comply with the given space allocation plan this design, by Marc Anton Dahmen & Studio DMTW, allots two separate parts of the envisaged structure. All functions of the cafeteria and ‘Mediothek’ are combined in a single building which is located directly at the assemblage point between the already existing lecture facilities (Cleric & Bio Cleric), the sports facilities Badi Sand, and the planned new connection with the institutions sitting (among others Kanti Halde). The second building hosts the new lecture halls and complements the presently existing ensemble consisting of the Cleric and Bio-Cleric enhancing the schoolyard’s fourth spatial edge. More images and architects’ description after the break.
EXHIBITION: Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret, Low Cost Furniture and Other Items from Chandigarh
GENEVA–Galerie Anton Meier inaugurated the first exhibition in Switzerland devoted to the work Pierre Jeanneret on September 20 at the Palais de l’Athénée. The exhibition, “The Chandigarh Project,” features a selection of furniture created for the Chandigarh capital complex on the border of Punjab and Haryana states in India. Intended to offer the public “clearer public insight into the humanistic work of Pierre Jeanneret, often overshadowed by his illustrious cousin, the show features pieces handcrafted on site for the new capital presented with “rare street furniture” as well as Le Corbusier’s symbols and prints. Highlights include teak tables, cane chairs, wooden armchairs, an a cast iron manhole cover with a recessed reproduction of the Chandigarh master plan as drawn by Le Corbusier in 1951. The exhibition comes after a scandal that erupted in 2010 when UBS decided to pull an ad featuring Corbusier. Debates continue involving the provenance of Chandigarh artifacts such as these, as dealers continue to buy items from Indian officials to resell abroad.
More information and photos after the break.
Brione House / Wespi de Meuron
Architects: Markus Wespi Jérôme de Meuron architects
Location: Brione sopra Minusio, TI, Switzerland
Construction Supervision: Guscetti Arch. Dipl., 6648 Minusio
Engineer: Anastasi SA, 6604 Locarno
Building Physics: IFEC Consulenze SA, 6802 Rivera
Contractor: Merlini + Ferrari SA, 6648 Minusio
Carpenter: Erich Keller AG, 8583 Sulgen
Project year: 2004-2005
Photographs: Hannes Henz
AquaPark in the Swiss Alps / Personeni Raffaele Schärer Architects
Personeni Raffaele Schärer Architects shared with us their competition proposal for an AquaPark in the Swiss Alps where they won the second prize. Located in an exceptional geographical context, the quality of the alpine setting was decisive in shaping the design of this particular water park. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Rolex Learning Center Photographic Project / Johann Watzke, Anne-Fanny Cotting & Aurélie Mindel of EPFL
Johann Watzke, Anne-Fanny Cotting & Aurélie Mindel of EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland shared with us their photographic project on the Rolex Learning Center from SANAA which is the campus hub and state-of-the-art library. More images and a brief description after the break.
Why Politics Matter: Le Corbusier, Fascism, and UBS
Le Corbusier’s politics are a divisive issue for architects and rightly so: his work is still highly influential, in both adoration and enmity, and his expressed political views are at odds with contemporary western democratic values.
It’s easy for the discussion of those views to lapse into a sort of ethical debate by-proxy, devolving into a discussion about whether or not Le Corbusier should continue to be included in the canon of twentieth century architects considering his apparent anti-Semetism and sympathy for the Nazi party. Such narrow and moralistic inquiry negates other issues pertinent to Le Corbusier’s place in history. It is possible to both be aware of Le Corbusier’s political affiliations and to discuss his work as an architect, urbanist, and designer for its own merits. By way of explanation, I would like to revisit a recent controversy concerning Le Corbusier.
Retirement Home / meier + associés architectes
Architects: meier + associés architectes
Location: Vaud, Switzerland
Collaborators: T Bolliger, S Braun, T Mendes, AI Pepermans, J Pimenta, G Trotta
Civil Engineer: Amsler & Bombeli SA
Electrical Engineer: Scherler SA
Project Year: 2008
Project Area: 5,000 sqm
Photographs: Yves André
In Progress: Allianz Headquarters / Wiel Arets Architects
The Allianz Headquarters is an office complex linked and interlocked by a series of bridges and voids that aims to progress the 21st century work environment by becoming a second home to employees.
Architect: Wiel Arets Architects
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Photographs: Jan Bitter
