Schulanlage Im Birch, Zurich, 2000, Competition 2nd Prize

Multivalent reliefs

In the transforming industrial estate, the project proposes two large, low building complexes that avoid regular eaves heights as a reference to the existing industrial buildings. Instead, an expression of the public facility is achieved using multivalent reliefs, while building volumes are graduated towards the open spaces and the adjoining F.T.Wahlen-Park.


The allocation of the upper- and lower-grade institutions to two separate building complexes remember industrial estates that have developed over time. Each complex has three buildings: a school building with classrooms, a hall building with large spaces such as sports halls, a canteen and a singing hall, and an infrastructural building with an entrance lobby, inner courtyard and special rooms.


The façade walls and the perimeter walls of the open areas are made of clinker brick and merge smoothly into each other. Inside them, the different buildings have varying load-bearing structures. The flooring and interior spaces are differentiated by varying pastel tones.

Reference image: Wassily Ermilov, Suprematist relief 1920s, Photo: Kunsthaus Lempertz Cologne

Address

Margrit-Rainer-Strasse 5, 8050 Zurich

Commission

School building

Procedure

Competition 2000, 2. Prize

Team

Andreas Derrer, Lorenzo Giuliani, Christian Hönger