Aussersihl Community Center

Photograph by Hannes Henz, courtesy of EM2N.

Words from the architect

A combination of several difficult circumstances formed the starting point for this project: the dramatic polarisation of the political parties for and against socio-cultural infrastructures, a building site that threatened to slip out of public control due to an open alcohol and drug scene but that was, at the same time, one of the few green spaces in this part of the city and, in addition, is a protected area.

Photograph by Hannes Henz, courtesy of EM2N.

As a response we formulated a strategic thesis for the competition: 1. Not the building alone but the entire park forms the district centre! This had the consequence that the building behaves like a guest, adding an extra programme to the park. 2: All the trees are to be preserved! The building makes do with residual spaces between the root protection areas around the existing trees. 3. Minimal footprint! To use up as little as possible of the valuable park area, the building develops upwards.

Photograph by Hannes Henz, courtesy of EM2N.

These considerations led to the stacking of the programme and to the development of a vertical prototype based on a polygonal floor plan. A camouflaging skin of standard glass and reflective glass will envelope the building and mingle with the trees - the paradox of the invisible tower.

Photograph by Hannes Henz, courtesy of EM2N.

In parliament the architectural project degenerated into an ersatz battlefield where a struggle between widely divergent political positions was fought. Finally, in a typically Swiss compromise, the budget was practically halved from 5.4 to 3.0 million Swiss Francs. The commission then was to discover what and how much could be built with the new budget. While preserving the principles formulated in the competition project, thanks to a forward-looking strategy the economic cutbacks could be transformed into a starting point for a new project. To retain sufficient critical programmatic mass in terms of urban planning, we decided to create as much floor area as possible. Although the budget was reduced by 45% the amount of usable floor area was reduced by only 25%, which meant radically cutting building costs: strategic minimalism! Consequently, all requirements and wishes were subordinated to this goal. Technical standards and all other accustomed levels of comfort were questioned and - together with the materials used for all the building elements - simplified.

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