Swiss Sensibility - The Culture of Architecture in Switzerland by Birkhäuser

FOREWORD

121

PETER ZUMTHOR

122

St Benedict Chapel

MILLER & MARANTA

128

Thermal Baths

San Gottardo Guesthouse

135

Villa Garbald

BUCHNER BRÜNDLER

143

SAVIOZ FABRIZZI

Casa d’Estate

144

Maison Boisset

Renovation and Extension of

152

Maison Roduit

161

ANDREAS FUHRIMANN

TALKING TO PETER ZUMTHOR Anna Roos

Basel Youth Hostel 40

Apartment Building, Bläsiring

GABRIELLE HÄCHLER 46

BEAUTIFUL BUSINESS

162

Finishing Tower

R. James Breiding 171

VALERIO OLGIATI

HERZOG & DE MEURON

172

The Yellow House

Natural Swimming Pools

178

Atelier Bardill

Ricola Herb Center

DIENER & DIENER

Forum 3 189

BEARTH & DEPLAZES

NICKISCH WALDER

190

Criminal Courts

Base Camp Matterhorn

200

Monte Rosa Hut

Refugi Lieptgas 209

:MLZD

210

Extension of the History Museum

219

STUDIO VACCHINI

220

Sports Center Mülimatt

184

SWISS ARCHITECTURE

A CULTIVATED ORDINARINESS Irina Davidovici

FROM ELSEWHERE Niall McLaughlin 99

GION A. CAMINADA

100

Forest Hut

229

EM2N

104

Viewing Tower

230

Swiss Railways Service Facility

113

JÜRG CONZETT

114

Traversina Footbridge 2

238

CONDITIONS OF PRACTICE Jean-Paul Jaccaud

FOREWORD

Building in Switzerland’s alpine topography poses a significant challenge but, at the same time,

Francesco Borromini is widely known as an Italian

forces architects to think three-dimensionally

Renaissance architect, but he was actually born

from the onset. Though one can’t talk of a Swiss style

in Bissone near Lugano in the Old Swiss Confederacy.

per se, what is evident is a certain understatement

He began his career by following his father’s foot-

and a strong sense of belonging with the context.

steps as a stonemason. Le Corbusier originally came

The extreme weather impacts on detailing; keeping

from La Chaux-de-Fonds, a small town in canton

the icy cold out and the heat inside is vital to

Neuchâtel; his father painted delicate images onto

survival. Additionally, there are not many natural

the dials of watches. Peter Zumthor, one of the most

resources like oil and steel in Switzerland, so

revered contemporary architects, was born to a

architects have had to be innovative and use the

cabinet-maker and started his career as a carpenter.

natural resources they have had at their disposal in

These examples highlight the relationship that

abundance: stone and wood.

many Swiss architects have with craftsmanship and

If the definition of sensibility is having an acute

their intimate knowledge of working with mate-

awareness and responsiveness, then the archi-

rials. It is this deep understanding of the physical

tecture presented in this book shows in myriad ways

nature of making objects out of age-old materials—

Swiss architects’ keen sensitivity to their envi-

wood, stone, glass, concrete—that shines through

ronment and history, whether it be the restrained

the buildings of many Swiss architects, both histori-

renovation of an old farmhouse in Ticino or a

cally and today.

bold new sports center in Windisch; multistory apart-

Swiss Sensibility examines the rich and deep-

ment building in Basel city or a museum in Flims

rooted tradition of architecture in Switzerland, the

village. Buildings, both large and small, each display

sensibility of many Swiss architects and a perva-

the architect’s attention to detailing and material,

sive culture of architecture. That such a small, land-

beautiful craftsmanship and precise construction.

locked country has produced such wealth of fine

The chosen kaleidoscope of buildings—all designed

architecture is testament to this tradition. The volume

by Swiss architects and built in Switzerland

of work produced in Switzerland might not seem

during the past few decades—is intended to inspire

significant when compared with larger nations, but

the reader and to convey the admiration shared

the resonance and influence of the work is con-

by many. Each project is examined with the aid of

siderable. Swiss Sensibility traces the history of this

texts, photographs, and drawings. Twenty-five

trajectory, examining the country’s architectural pros-

projects from across the country by fifteen architec-

perity and the development of its many talented

tural practices are interspersed with four essays

architects.

by prominent intellectuals—three of whom are archi-

Why is it that architects in Switzerland have man-

tects—and an interview with a distinguished archi-

aged to achieve their standard of excellence? What

tect. Each text focuses on a different aspect of

are the forces at play that have combined to create

Swiss architecture: James Breiding looks at the his-

the fertile ground for the discipline to flourish?

toric development of architecture over the centuries,

Switzerland’s intricate linguistic and cultural borders,

Niall McLaughlin critically examines the phenom-

and the variety of its vernacular architecture, are

enon of Swiss architecture from the perspective of a

counterbalanced by its strong tradition of cosmo-

“pure outsider,” Irina Davidovici looks at the cultural

politanism. Switzerland has a large reservoir of small,

models on which the production of contemporary

creative practices that support a sophisticated

architecture in Switzerland is based, while Jean-Paul

culture of building design. This resource, coupled with

Jaccaud scrutinizes the conditions of practice in

an excellent standard of architectural education,

Switzerland, comparing and contrasting them with

high quality craftsmanship, and a tradition of open

Anglo-Saxon countries. The interview at the heart

competitions allowing new talent to emerge, are

of the book gives the reader a fascinating insight into

all aspects that influence the production of architec-

the intensely personal design process of the emi-

ture in this country. In most countries the role of

nent architect, Peter Zumthor.

the architect has been diminished, whereas in Switzer-

Swiss Sensibility is not about promoting a brand,

land architects still tend to have authorship of

but rather sets out to illustrate the broad approach

their work; steering their designs from the sketch

to a highly valued discipline. The book is an explo-

stage all the way through to the finished building.

ration of the difference and uniqueness that gives this small country its great architectural reputation and pays homage to architecture produced with dedication, passion, and integrity. Anna Roos

MILLER & MARANTA

My incentive to pick up a pencil in the morning at all, is the search for knowledge. Quintus Miller

MILLER & MARANTA

Having asked themselves how a contemporary

SAN GOTTARDO GUESTHOUSE

building might be constructed on the basis of a

GOTTHARD PASS

vernacular construction typology, the architects drew

2008–2010

their inspiration from rural buildings in canton Uri, where timber has been used within massive walls

For thousands of years the Gotthard Pass has been

since the fifteenth century. With great sensibility

an important threshold between north and south

they had to strike a balance between remaining true

Europe and for many centuries has played a signifi-

to the historic meaning of the building, while also

cant role in the economy and culture of central

acknowledging the present and creating a striking

Switzerland. Since the early thirteenth century, the

contemporary building. Their first strategy was

pass has been a vital trade route connecting different

to radically hollow out the building, leaving only the

cultures and language regions. Caravans of mer-

outer walls, with their elegant, double-bowed win-

chants transporting grain, wine, rice, and salt, even

dows, and the granite stair on the first level. Secondly,

entire armies trekked over the pass. During the

the building was raised by a level and finally the

nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Gotthard

chapel and hostel were unified beneath an enormous

Pass was imbued with an almost mythological status

lead roof. By raising the building by one level

symbolizing the independence of Switzerland.

more rooms could be accommodated and the volume

Thus, as Alpentransversale, the pass is strategically,

could become more prominent, thus creating an

culturally, and historically significant.

optical focus on the Alp. It is the slender bell-tower

At the summit of the Gotthard Pass is a scattering

that divides the great faceted volume into two parts:

of buildings between two lakes; these include the

sacred/secular, chapel/hostel. The muted coarse

old lodgings—now a museum—and Hotel St Gotthard.

plaster and gray lead roof echo the color of the craggy

Archaeological artifacts indicate the presence of

rocks surrounding the building and blend it into

a chapel on the site since pre-Roman times, while the

the landscape.

hostel, alongside the chapel, has been dated to the

Logistically the construction of the building

year 1623. The two buildings have a history of misfor-

posed a daunting challenge, as there is only a short

tune: first they were destroyed by an avalanche in

window of snow-free time during summer when

1774 and then again by fire in 1905. Each reconstruc-

construction is viable. This constraint required inno-

tion left a layer of history.

vative thinking and meticulous planning. To radically

Thanks to support by the Fondazione Pro San

reduce in-situ construction time, the large timber

Gottardo, the revitalization and refurbishment of the

cladding elements for the interiors were assembled

structures was made possible. Six architectural

in the valley below and hauled up the mountain

practices were invited to take part in a competition.

where they could be rapidly installed. Clad entirely

Basel-based office, Miller & Maranta was awarded

with untreated, spruce wood, the individual rooms

the commission in 2005. As design professor

throughout have an almost monastic atmosphere

at Mendrisio Academy of Architecture in Ticino,

intended to intensify one’s perception of the majestic

Quintus Miller, with his partner Paola Maranta, play

and austere surrounding landscape. The precision

an important role in the architectural discourse in

of the carpentry is truly admirable. With the joinery,

Switzerland. Their work was showcased at the Venice

time-old vernacular Alpine architecture has been

Biennale in 2012.

interpreted in an intensely modern manner. At the same time, the wood-scented rooms still evoke an atmosphere of archaic beauty. It is the perfectly meted understatement one often sees in Swiss architecture that gives it its force. Each room has been named after previous distinguished visitors to the hostel from past eras: Goethe, Honoré de Balzac, and Petrarch to name a few. Nowadays the rooms cater for a new age of tourists: alpine cyclists and mountaineers. Architecturally, it is the monumental south front and the monolithic lead roof that have the greatest visual impact. Miller & Maranta has rejuvenated the building and elevated its status as is fitting for its historic and strategic significance on the Gotthard. Standing proud, facing southward, the building has a sense of self-evident belonging to the site, as if it had never been any different. The architecture is restrained, but it is also powerful.

For years this adage has accompanied us: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tradition doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean preserving the ashes, but rather keeping the fires burning.â&#x20AC;? Miller & Maranta

HERZOG & DE MEURON

The greatest inspiration is the existing world in all its ugliness and normality. Jacques Herzog

GROUND FLOOR

1:500

B D

1ST FLOOR

DIENER & DIENER

Designing is about having a reaction to a place, as well as a trust in the beauty and depth of reality. Roger Diener

DIENER & DIENER

Many Swiss architects seem to have a deep

FORUM 3

admiration for artists and choose to collaborate with

BASEL

them in order to bring their unique artistic flair to

2005

the creation of architecture. Herzog & de Meuron has a particular penchant for joining forces with fine

As has been the case since time immemorial, archi-

artists and worked closely with Ai Weiwei on the

tecture is used to signify wealth, success, and

Olympic Stadium in Beijing. Here, Roger Diener invited

power. With their ambitious concept to create a state-

Swiss artist, Helmut Federle and Austrian architect

of-the-art research and development site, one of

Gerold Wiederin to design the highly complex glass

the leading enterprises of the healthcare industry has

facade. Their design is an ephemeral veil of glass that

slowly but surely been developing its “Campus of

dematerializes the architectural form. The elegant

Knowledge and Innovation” in Basel, building by buil-

cantilever facing the piazza that stretches the

ding over the past decades. World-class architects

full eighty-five meters across the building, further

such as David Chipperfield, Tadao Ando¯, Sanaa, Alvaro

enhances the illusion of the building hovering weight-

Siza, and Rem Koolhaas have all had their turn at

less above the site.

piecing together Vittorio Lampugnani’s master plan

The interiors of Forum 3 are no less impressive

like a giant three-dimensional puzzle. Inspired

than its artistic outer guise: the floor of the four-

by the urban layout of ancient Greek cities, a dense

meter high entrance lobby is finished in black marble

matrix of five-story building blocks define pedestrian

from Greece and is adorned with large-format

streets that open onto tree-filled piazzas. One of

abstract paintings and elegant timber furniture.

the first architectural practices to be commissioned

From within, color-filtered daubs of light spill across

to design a building on the extensive site was the

the interior surfaces, enlivening the office spaces.

Basel-based office Diener & Diener. Their Forum 3

Initially, hidden within this glazed lightbox was

building is a shimmering apparition of glass and color

a tangled jungle of massive trees that soared twelve

that mutates with the changing light and weather

meters—an idea conceived by the renowned land-

conditions, from opaque when overcast, to iridescent

scape architects, Vogt. They referred to their Raum

when sunny. No wonder it has been likened to a

für Pflanzen—or, space for plants—as a “compressed

Klee watercolor with overlapping planes of subtle,

landscape experience,” which was designed to

translucent hues. The facades are a montage of 1,200

infiltrate the building with the sheer scale, complexity,

glass panels mounted on vertical steel rods in

and rawness of nature.

twenty-one shades of color that cover a vast area of 4,300 m². It is like a gigantic art installation.

Roger Diener has created a masterful building that touches the senses and sustains a long-lasting fascination. It might only be an office building, but the marriage of architecture and fine art has elevated the design to an almost sublime level.

Here we could develop the design all the way into the construction phase. If there is an identity of Swiss architecture, then it can be found there. Roger Diener

NICKISCH WALDER

For us, designing is to transform a vision into a singular entity which responds to all elements of architecture. A pure, specific architecture to specific circumstances. Nickisch Walder

NICKISCH WALDER

The delicate structures were dwarfed by the mas-

BASE CAMP MATTERHORN

sive rock face soaring above, creating an apt counter-

2014

point between the transient nature of the base camp, which was only there for a single season, and

Until the late nineteenth century the Alps were seen

the massive mountain, which remains for millennia.

as an obstacle to transport and were feared by

Although this was only a temporary solution to

anyone trying to cross them. Consequently, July 15,

accommodate alpine climbers, great care and atten-

2015 was an auspicious date being the 150th anniver-

tion was given to creating a design that did jus-

sary of the first ascent of the Matterhorn by the

tice to the dramatic majesty of the location. The archi-

British climber, Edward Whymper. This is now regarded

tects were respectful of the sensitivity of the site

as the birth of alpine tourism, which remains vital

and made sure that no trace was left of the camp once

to Switzerland’s economy. To mark the anniversary of

it had been dismantled.

Whymper’s climb, the Hörnli hut, a way-station enroute to the Matterhorn peak, was renovated. In order to cater for mountaineers during the interim period of renovation, a temporary “pop up hotel” sponsored by Swatch was erected on the slopes of the Matterhorn. It is impossible to ascend the peak from the valley in one session; mountaineers stay overnight half-way up to acclimatize and to start their hike up to the summit at daybreak. Twenty-five, tent-like structures, scattered along the alpine terrace were erected beneath the iconic peak of the Matterhorn above Zermatt ski resort. For the triangular huts, architect Selina Walder took her inspiration from the pyramidal shape of the Matterhorn that towers above the site. To reflect the transitory nature of the project, the pitched structures perch lightly on the mountain slope, like folded origami. Built from aluminum and wood, they are slightly elevated on slender, adjustable legs that allow the timber floor of the two-person huts to be horizontal and raised off the cold rocky surface, enabling climbers to sleep more comfortably. The construction is crisp and exact. Triangular doors flip open like the flap of a tent with the door handle and key slot placed diagonally. Larger huts accommodated dining and kitchen spaces where hikers were served dinner and breakfast. As water is a scarce resource on the site, no showering facilities were offered, though there was a toilet.

Reuss Delta viewing tower typifies Caminada’s

GION A. CAMINADA VIEWING TOWER

sensibility to material and structure. Like Peter

REUSS DELTA, LAKE LUCERNE

Zumthor, Caminada hails from Graubünden and, like Zumthor, is a trained carpenter and cabinet-maker.

2012

The manner in which his buildings are crafted reflects Reuss Delta, in the heart of Switzerland, is nestled

his intimate knowledge of materials and their

between high, snow-capped Alps and the flat

assembly. With its reduced material palette of locally

green valley that opens out towards Lake Lucerne,

sourced timber and woven willow, like his forest

where river, shore, and lake slowly merge in mini

hut, the tower celebrates local skills and craftsman-

fjords and idyllic bathing islands. A few decades ago,

ship. Forty-eight silver-fir tree trunks—each

the future of the delta looked precarious as the

chosen and felled by local foresters and debarked by

shoreline was gradually disappearing into the lake.

hand—form a conical tower crowned by a light,

It was the 1985 Reuss Delta Law that secured the

scallop-edged roof. A spiral staircase swirls its way

site, which has subsequently become a haven for

around the central trunk branching out from a

shallow water wildlife and plants, as well as a leisure

platform into four projecting viewing balconies facing

attraction. The small archipelago was created with

the four compass points. The higher one ascends,

3.3 million tons of rock excavated from the Gotthard

the denser the weaving becomes, until one is almost

Base Tunnel. The massive flat rocks brought from

enclosed in fine interwoven twigs. Structurally,

the tunnel excavation are ideal for sunbathing and

both platform and stairs are hung from above by steel

relaxing. The only human-made structure on the

rods suspended from the roof. The ceiling is com-

delta is the eleven-meter-high viewing tower that

posed of pleated panels of woven reeds fanning out

creates a vantage point from which to observe

from the central timber support, overlaid with

the varied bird life and enjoy the surrounding natural

a whimsical tangle of twigs that soften the pattern

beauty of the mountains cascading into the lake

creating an unstructured, filigree layer. The woven

waters.

balustrades of the balconies are reminiscent of the baskets of hot-air balloons. At this elevated viewpoint observing the bird life, one feels like a bird perched high in a nest. Despite its strict symmetry, the structure retains a sense of delicacy and sensuousness. During the bare winter months, when the reeds are ochre-colored, the golden tones of the timber tower are intricately tied to its site and seem to emerge from the sweeping surrounding landscape. Caminada has created a clearly rational, though poetic construction where each element is integral to the other, each individual part only able to function with the support of the other to create a harmonious, unified whole.

A clever design generally combines rationality and emotionality; that is intellect and feeling. Gion A. Caminada

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PETER ZUMTHOR

In a society that celebrates the inessential, architecture can put up a resistance, counteract the waste of forms and meanings, and speak its own language. Peter Zumthor

121

Zumthor’s architecture celebrates the sensuous

PETER ZUMTHOR THERMAL BATHS

experience of bathing. The exhilarating shock

VALS

of plunging into cold 14 °C water directly after dipping

1990 –1996

into almost unbearably hot 42 °C makes one’s body glow, while floating outdoors in 36 °C water when

Rituals of bathing and cleansing have been part of

it’s snowing is an invigorating experience. To enter the

human civilization for millennia. In Istanbul and

sound bath you have to swim through a narrow

Budapest, Rome and Bath the ritual of bathing has

passageway into a vertical, water-filled space where

been central to social culture since ancient times.

the ceiling soars six meters above. Lit from beneath,

Peter Zumthor’s thermal baths in Vals rekindle the

the grotto is an acoustic chamber where bathers tread

“high architecture” of ancient baths and the splendid

water while humming, listening to the overlay of

buildings housing them that are a testament to

reverberating voices. In the small, enclosed, intimate

their historic importance. Using natural resources

pools Zumthor has managed to recreate the impres-

at his disposal in the alpine valley: gneiss and

sion of being in a secret coastal cave distant from the

water, Zumthor has hewn an evocative sequence of

mundane routine of everyday life, while conversely

spaces from layer upon precise layer of solid rock.

the main pools open to the landscape and are soaked

The building is cut deep into the mountain, rock

in daylight. The palette of materials—clear water,

embedded onto rock, built up in slender horizontal

polished stone, brass, chrome, leather, and velvet—

strata of Valser quartz. Deeply rooted into the

are combined with a remarkable sophistication,

mountain slope, the building literally emerges from

choreographed to enhance the essential, evocative

its own geology.

qualities of each material. The touch, smell, and

Pools of clear alpine water from deep beneath the earth are held between massive stone walls. Nothing is revealed immediately, rather it is as

sound of these materials make bathing there both a highly sensory and highly aesthetic experience. The theatricality of steaming water held in stone

you wander through the myriad of concealed spaces

is heightened by the intense modeling of light and

that you discover the building. “The meander,”

shadow. There are spaces shrouded in misty shadows

as Zumthor calls it, “is a designed negative space

and somber corners contrasted with light-flooded

between the blocks, a space that connects every-

sunny areas where you can recline and enjoy the

thing as it flows throughout the entire building.”

enormous, framed alpine views. Natural light filters

He compares exploring the complex layout of spaces

from above through long fissures between the roof

and pools to ambling through a woodland of trees,

slabs, brushing along dark stone walls, while chinks

“Like walking in a forest without a path. A feeling of

of blue light filter down onto blue water. Being in

freedom, the pleasure of discovery.”

Vals makes you acutely aware that to create architecture is to define the dimensions and enclosure of space. Through his relentless exploitation of the inherent qualities of his chosen materials, the modeling of space and the modulation of light, Zumthor has managed to elevate the simple act of bathing to an almost mystical experience.

Mountain, stone, water—building in the stone, building with the stone, into the mountain, building out of the mountain, being inside the mountain—how can the implications and the sensuality of the association of these words be interpreted architecturally? Peter Zumthor

128

129

Anna Roos (AR): This

publication is about the sensibility of Swiss architects

and the culture of architecture in Switzerland. I see this as a country that upholds and values the tradition of architecture, one could argue, to a greater degree than elsewhere. This is not about promoting a brand, not a white cross on a red background, but about a broad approach to a discipline. I’d like to explore what’s happening here. In this interview I would like to discuss how you perceive the unique place that Switzerland holds in the sphere of architecture internationally and explore your role in this context. How this rich architectural tradition has evolved historically. In some countries architects do not have a good reputation and laypeople like to criticize architects. I get the impression that their role is taken less seriously than here in Switzerland. Do you also get the impression that architects are generally held in higher esteem in Switzerland than elsewhere? Peter Zumthor (PZ): The profession of an architect is held in high esteem as a title in Italy, where

every architect is called a “doctor.” Switzerland has a different approach. Long ago architects used to have a good reputation here. As a child I remember my father talking respectfully about architects. He differentiated between architects who were draftsmen or “architect” architects; those who really studied architecture. He made a distinction and had a greater respect for trained architects. So he’d often say, “That is not an architect,” because in Switzerland anyone can call themselves an architect. Then during the 1960s and 1970s there was a building boom and architecture and architects in Switzerland lost their good reputation. It was sort of like “building as destroying.” There was a famous publication by an architect at that time, Rolf Keller Bauen als Umweltzerstörung (Building as Environmental Destruction). Then in the late 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s we had to consciously rebuild the reputation of the architect. I was involved with this here in Graubünden. We looked into “responsibility” through organizations like the Schweizerische Werkbund (Swiss Guild), and the Schweizer Heimatschutz (Swiss Heritage Association). We showed ourselves as being responsible for our environment and also being respectful of the past. And so we had to rebuild the reputation of the architect. AR: PZ: Yes, it

And that was evidently successful?

took some fifteen to twenty years. I initiated a prize for good building and other

initiatives like that. It took some time. I think architects are respected quite well now. AR: PZ: This

Do you think more than elsewhere?

is hard for me to say. AR: There is bold use of materials in many buildings in Switzerland, particularly

of concrete, stone, and wood, historically due to the lack of natural resources like iron. This tradition has continued to the present day. What role do you think this palette of materials and the sensitivity to materials has played in the making of architecture in this country? PZ:

I can only answer this question on a personal basis, not in a generalized way. Since I am

not so interested in the topic of architecture or the idea of Swiss architecture. I start with a place, I look around. I see mountains, I see a desert. I think of the atmosphere of my not-yet existing building, I imagine how people will use it, experience it. What can I do? What is the specific energy of materials I should use so that they will love it. So as you can see I am extremely interested in generating the right mood with the materials I pick and maybe the only Swiss thing I can see in this process is me, myself being Swiss.

136

AR:

It seems to me as if the relationship that many Swiss architects have to

their landscape and their sensitivity to the varied historic traditions of architecture informs their work even today. Pretty much wherever one is in Switzerland, the landscape is present: a river, forest, mountain, or lake. We know that Swiss architects are very much guided by the constraints and challenges of the landscape. How does this interaction take place in your work? PZ: This

is a basic in my work. I want to make things that are good for the place and good for

its use. I like to study the place, whether it is at a low or a high altitude, whether it’s in Switzerland or somewhere else. AR:

How do you go about studying the place, do you photograph and sketch,

go there many times at different times of the day and different seasons. How do you record your building sites? PZ:

It differs; I have to get a feeling for the place. AR:

Do you return to the site many times before you start your design process

and put pen to paper? PZ:

Sometimes I have a feeling right away, then I don’t have to go back. AR:

PZ: Yes. Usually

Like when you meet a person for the first time?

I don’t find it so difficult to get a feeling in L. A. or Norway, or wherever.

To see, and to react to what’s there. Sometimes I need to know more. AR: PZ: Yes, it’s

Do you record it here primarily in your head?

not so much about a scientific analysis. This could be interesting, but basically

it’s reacting to what’s there. You open up your heart and your eyes and then you can see. AR:

I have read in an interview you saying that landscape and garden grow ever

more into the interior of your designs. Has the natural surrounding become more important to you during the course of your career or has it always been so? PZ:

It has always been important to me, but its consciously becoming more and more

important. You can see this in all my works—in large-scale projects and in small-scale architecture and landscape. Yes, this is so in all of my projects, there is a kind of a garden or landscape as an integral part of the architecture. AR:

I like the idea of the garden encroaching into the interior. How would you

do this in an urban context, in Los Angeles (LACMA) for instance? PZ: The

Los Angeles County Museum of Art is located in Hancock Park or what’s left of it,

because in the second half of the twentieth century several buildings where placed in the park, taking away large pieces of it. One of the key elements of my new design is to reestablish the horizontal flow of the park by elevating the museum. Glass pavilions responding to the park and the Wilshire Boulevard generate a largely permeable ground floor below the hovering main mass of the museum. But there is more to the landscape of the place. It is an ancient landscape. Tar has surfaced and has formed pits of tar, which became traps for animals 40,000 years ago. The oil rose to the surface of these pits. The animals of the time got trapped, so now when you dig you will find layers and layers of fossils from the tar in the lakes. Fossils of mammoths and saber-tooth tigers. There is a Walt Disney kind of character in the way the tar pits address the public at the moment. I hope that with the shape, placement, and the dark material of my building I can provoke a deeper feeling for this specific place.

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SAVIOZ FABRIZZI

Our approach to architecture seeks balance between spatiality and the expression of materials in order to reveal the intrinsic qualities of a site and built heritage. Savioz Fabrizzi

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A CULTIVATED ORDINARINESS

Cultural Models in Recent Swiss Architecture Irina Davidovici

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Since the 1990s, Swiss architecture has been gaining a steady following. Two Pritzker Prize winners in one decade, Herzog & de Meuron in 2001 and Peter Zumthor in 2009, as well as a great number of signature buildings built by Swiss practices in international locations, show architecture to be one of the country’s most successful exports. This global discourse is dominated by a handful of household names, whose buildings inside and outside Switzerland are eagerly received and lengthily discussed in the professional and lay press. Architectural tourism has become an established occurrence, not only in the main cities but also in remote locations in Graubünden and Ticino, where famous architects have been responsible at one time or another for local public buildings and private houses. The visitors of architectural landmarks will notice that such special projects do not, however, court the attention of outsiders. Rather, they are usually engaging in meaningful dialogue with the well built, carefully maintained environments in which they are located. Unlike much of Europe, where man-made landscapes are preponderant, those crossing Switzerland along the most established routes get a high dose of seemingly natural picturesqueness. Lakes and mountains punctuate every other stretch of high- and railway. The rural industry is small in scale and tightly controlled, complementing quaint, churched villages and traditional-looking farmhouses. Suburban sprawl flashes only briefly past the windshields and billboards, and advertisements are few and far between. In such settings those accustomed to the big names of Swiss architecture will often spot buildings that look like tributes to their work. Sleek concrete constructions and sheds abstractly clad in timber slats fleetingly catch the eye as being designed, rather than expediently constructed. Such structures are rather ambiguous: on one hand they claim attention through a level of aesthetic ambition that surpasses their functionality as houses or workshops. On the other hand, by taking a previously radical architectural statement and normalizing it through repetition, they relegate it once again to the domain of the functional. This interplay between anonymous and authored architecture is not surprising in a country whose sophisticated transport infrastructure of viaducts, bridges, and dams is in itself a major Baukunst. It is not just that such engineered structures, despite being built for utility, have an unquestionably emotional effect. They also draw attention to a culturally embedded trait of Swiss production, namely its quality. The demand for precision in the provision of infrastructure has created a high level of skill within the construction industry, on which architects have grown used to rely. For this reason concrete structures—whether signaling stations, houses, or museums—are more frequent here and less controversial than in other countries; their smoothness both metaphorical and literal. Traditional materials, like timber and stone, display a similar level of technical know-how, in their case rooted less in industrial precision than in the craft culture that still characterizes Switzerland’s rural regions. They too provide sources for contemporaneous architectural work, and not merely as historical precedents. Building in timber is particularly established and thus seen to be the most appropriate material, especially in locations where it is cheap and plentiful, and where the knowledge of working with it has been passed down through generations. Just as the dominant materials vary between urban and rural locations, the architectural strategies that they call into being are also different. Whether the backdrop is a traditional village or an Alpine range, the implausible picturesqueness of Swiss countryside serves contemporary architecture very well. Three strategies dominate here, of which the first—the creation of abstract artifacts like Valerio Olgiati’s Visitor’s Center at Zernez—is of little relevance to the present discussion of models and copies. Intended to stand out against their background, such buildings do not lend themselves easily to replication and normalization. Their presence is as surprising as it is unique in these areas of outstanding natural beauty, where conservative forces often prevail.

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EM2N SWISS RAILWAYS SERVICE FACILITY ZURICH 2013

The extensive train network in Switzerland is widely known for its efficiency and punctuality. As the country is so compact, it is feasible to live in one city and commute to another. It is not uncommon to forgo owning a car, as the public transport system is sophisticated and wide ranging, so that even the most remote valleys and mountain villages can be reached by rail, bus, or cable car. The reliability of the rail network has meant ever-increasing numbers of rail passengers, with trains having to increase in length to accommodate greater numbers. The new four-hundred-meter rail facility in Zurich caters for these excessively long trains. As the site was predetermined and the structure predefined by engineers, the assignment for the architects had design limitations. Their sole task was to create an envelope to wrap the southern facade. Using five-meter elements that widen and narrow in interlocking waves, the architects have expressed the facade in three dimensions. It might appear like a large, inflatable structure, but the curtain-wall of the facade is made with glass-fiber reinforced concrete. By omitting individual concrete elements, long, horizontal fissures are created allowing light and views into the interior workshop areas. The curvature profile of the concrete units decreases in the lower section of the facades to allow access for fire engines. The slow, undulating lines are an apt articulation for a rail service building and reflect the linear dynamic of the fast-moving trains along the tracks. As a preventive measure, the surfaces were treated with a hydrophobic membrane to protect them from graffiti. The exit and entry on the short facades are completely glazed from floor to ceiling and are recessed, creating the impression of continuity, as if it were merely a section of a building that could be extended indefinitely. Within the constraints of a tight budget, EM2N were able to design a distinctive building that enhances the area along the railway tracks. What might have been an industrial wasteland has instead been transformed into an artistically expressive site.

Through its central position next to the rapidly developing new neighborhood of Zurich-West and by virtue of its sheer size, the new building acquires great urban significance. It shapes the edge of the city towards the railway tracks and welcomes visitors entering the city by train, signaling that they are arriving in Zurichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city center. EM2N

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