Christian Kerez was announced as the winner of the competition for the renovation of the Palazzo Rosso in St. Gallen, home to the Textile Museum St. Gallen, in eastern Switzerland. The project, titled “Das Schwere ist des Leichten Wurzelgrund,” or “The Heavy Is the Root of the Light,” responds to the goal of raising the profile of the Palazzo Rosso and increasing its visibility and attractivity. The proposal is currently undergoing further development by order of the Textile Museum Foundation for clarifying questions of feasibility and finance.
The history of the Textile Museum goes back to the mid-19th century when developers from different countries came here to invest in the most advanced textile machinery available at the time, one that could mechanically reproduce intricate historical textiles such as lace. The building of the Textile Museum was erected in 1886 when it earned the still popular moniker of “Palazzo Roso” due to its brick facades and elegant appearance. The space was initially used to train collaborators and collect historical textiles for reference. Today it is one of the landmarks of St. Gallen, with a collection gathered over the last 135 years.
The building infrastructure has remained largely the same during this time, prompting the necessity for an intervention aimed at improving safety and visitor-friendliness. The proposed solution opens the ground floor to the public, underlining the Museum’s importance for the city and its inhabitants. The project also includes the addition of a large exhibition space, the creation of a new archive space for professional storage of art objects, and the opening of the building on the lowest floor. The redesign also includes the addition of a museum café to strengthen its relationship with the public space.
According to the competition tender, the project was selected for its respect toward the qualities of the existing building and its ability to complement them in a meaningful way. The jury also recognized that the solution sparked debates and discussions due to its bolder gestures compared to other submissions. The main achievement of the design can be found below the building’s foundation, where a completely new space is configured. The sheer size of this space opens new possibilities for special exhibitions, thus ensuring a wide variety of development possibilities for the museum.
Swiss architect Christian Kerez began as an architecture photographer before starting his career in architecture. Some of his best-known projects include the innovative Leutschenbach School in Zürich, Switzerland and the Office Building Lyon Confluence Îlot A3 in France. He has also designed the Swiss Pavillion of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale as an amorphous structure that aimed to explore the meanings of abstract and complex architectural spaces.
