EUROPAALLEE

Europaallee Baufeld B,
Open Competition

with ROK, Zurich

Client: SBB Immobilien Development Zürich City
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Date: 2011

The proposal for a new office and retail tower anchored by Le-Corbusier-Platz in Zurich aims not only to position a highly-functional building a as filter between the city and rail yards of the main station, but equally to create a contemporary symbol for the new ‘Europaallee’ district in the visionary spirit of Alfred Escher. The building’s west side conforms to the width and height of the neighboring parcel while the eastern end tapers and forms a tower, facing the Sihl and the center of the city.

Creating a unified, sculptural mass at a scale befitting the extensive train platforms, the facade is also broken down into overlapping bands. These bands, inspired by the station’s crossing rail lines, are modulated to form small balconies, create the optimum amount of glazing for solar conditions, and combine a number of hi-tech and energy-saving technologies. Through its extensive use of sustainable building methods, the complex aims to become an ecological as well as architectural icon of the new city quarter.

Project Partners:
– ROK, Zurich
– WaltGalmarini, Zurich

Renderings:
© ROK, Zurich