FIL ROUGE Leisure town on the top of Talacker
Paola Falconi HS20 Chair Jan De Vylder
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THURGAUE
Thurgauerstrasse is one of the m Zurich, bu Decade after decade new office populated th
Half belongs to the Stadt Zurich an Thurgauerstrasse is suffering, the potential to make
The master thesis topic asks us to en imagining scenarios beyond simply new architectur
ERSTRASSE
most important traffic arteries in uilt in 1962. e buildings and Gewerbehouses his main axis.
nd half to the Stadt Opfikon. Today ere is a lack of vitality, but a lot of e it part of the city.
nvisage new programs for the area, y living and working, to open it up to ral possibilities.
TALAC
Talackergebiet is a “grey zone”, like privates and without a de A collection of 80s and 90s bui surrounded b
Talackergebiet is the counterpoun mixed neighborhood, born and “g developing. It is also the “ga
My project wants to bring life on t work and in the weekends. Bring realization of a freetime/leisure hub lif
CKER
e a “no man’s land”, that belongs to eveloping project behind. ildings, floating on asphalt and by parking lots.
nd of Glattpark, a liveable, new and grown up” from 2000 and still in ate” of Glattbrugg/Opfikon.
the buildings in the free time, after ging life in this area through the b: facilities for recreation and social fe.
GOALS This area of Opfikon is almost entirely dedicated to “living” and “working”, it offers few recreation opportunities. In fact, the weekend and in the evening the area seems to be frozen. Hence the reason of designing a space for free-time. Dedicated to all those who live and work in the neighbourhood. Without age limits, to encourage the exchange and interaction between different types of people, ensuring a mix of uses and a density of programs. But where exactly? How to make this novelty visible to those who simply speed along Thurgauerstrasse or to those who are stressed after a long day at the office? The answer came by chance, it came through an image that fascinated me from the first moment I saw it and never ceases to amaze me. One evening, during the “golden hour”, I went up to the top floor of the car park and a striking image, that opened my eyes from Seebach to the Uetliberg, surprised me. A few minutes later I found an emergency exit door open, got some courage, and went out: I was on the roof of the TMC. I believe that this view should be made available to everyone. This feeling of amazement must be experienced by everyone, both during the day and at night. In addition, the roof surface is almost “wasted”. The roofs are flat and therefore lend themselves well to accommodate new functions, obviously after checking with the structural engineer that the buildings can withstand the new load. But all of a sudden the idea for the project takes shape: to allow those who live in the neighbourhood or who are intrigued by what they see from the street or from the train, to access this almost secret place, which can only be seen from the outside. The project is to be a structure, an infrastructure, which develops between the various rooftops of the fashion square, from the Galleria to the “Brache”, which is transformed into a park. The access will be in the form of towers, and this landscape of rooftops, which already has different levels, will be connected by various bridges, which make it possible to pass from one building to another. The structure will be a promenade, but will also offer the possibility of “descending” from this path and accessing the actual function, which comes to life on different platforms, depending on the needs of the program. You will be able to cultivate your own garden, play sports, be a spectator to a show, or be the show, let the children play in a playground, drink a good craft beer or eat a good dish with a view over the Glattpark,... just to name a few examples.
HOPE FOR WHAT HAS YET TO COME New, mixed functions, dedicated to different Nutzergruppen, by age, interests, milieu. They vary throughout the day and depending on the seasons. A place where people with different passions can meet and exchange. Because then from exchanges beauty is born, new collaborations are born. The buildings below would not be directly touched, they remain with the owners and their use is managed independently from what happens on the roofs. So that if another architect has a project to propose, he/she can do it, and if the activities inside want to continue, they can do it, hoping that they can take advantage of what happens on the rooftops, and maybe some surfaces will actually be “vermietet”, hoping that the new structure can also bring an advantage to the empty space below. And if the structure of the “fil rouge” is strong enough, it may then be the space below that adapts to it in the years to come; so that a reciprocity between fundamentally different architectures can be established. The buildings below would remain as inaccessible as they are at the moment, or better formulated, the accessibility will be defined by the activities within them. The rooftop structure, on the other hand, will be totally accessible: the towers with open staircases and lifts will be in function h24, 7/7, while some closed spaces such as the Musik- and Tanzzimmer will be closed after 10 pm, and bars and restaurants will have timetables defined by their users. But the aim of the structure, open and accessible, is to promote the appropriation of the space to its users, so they can move around spontaneously, and they can experience it and respect it. To push the passer-by to enter, there are access towers along the Thurgauerstrasse pavement, and the structure is clearly visible even from the tracks. Curiosity should push people to want to go up and explore these spaces and interact with them. And people should be able to express themselves within them. I finally imagine a lively area, outside the city centre but attracting people of all ages. Where do we go for a Sunday afternoon walk? Where are we going out with friends on Friday evenings to tell us about the week? Where do we go to play bocce with the other pensioners? Where do we go to meet new children to play with? Where do I go to relax and lose myself in my thoughts when the project is not progressing and I need inspiration? I hope the answer is “on Talacker’s rooftops”.
un fil rouge s’est posÊ sur les toits
THE PROJECT - FIL ROUGE
Site plan
FIL ROUGE - south
pathway through the project
The park
The park structure surrounded by an equipped wing, framed by the steel structure, with BBQ’s, toilets, benches and tables, a panorama point, a pergola to picnic and the green area with the small pond. It’s one of the starting points: it will lead to the tribune area.
The tribune - the party one
The tribune is accompanied by a stagewhich hosts small shows, performances or music experiences. When nothing is taking place it will je be a poin to do some trainspotting and enjoy the panorama on the Uetliberg. From here you can move direction to the fitness area or bar.
TRENDHOUSE - The bar and the creatives’ rooms
I picked the bar. It’s developed on two levels, the bar underneath and the terrace along the path. In the existing patio of the Trendhouseat night, the lights are playing their show. Then, you can move to the gardening area or reach the tribune on the Haus 9. On the eastern side, changing rooms and Werkstätte accessible to everyone.
The tribune - the more quiet one
The tribunedescends towards a stage for a small show and performances as well. Here the view is towards Thurgauerstrasse and the outskirts of Zurich, near the ZĂźriberg. The stage is connected to the rooms for the performers. Following the path you can go back to the bar or take a look on the biodiversity hub on the TMC.
TMC East Urban gardening. Biodiversity hub. The restaurant to eat or cook the - literally - km0 products. Pic-nic space, next to the birds cage. L’espace de détente at the crossing abovethe patio. The Himmelplatform as the “summit” of the project.
TMC West
The “Vignetta”, the bocce field underneath a “tobia”, a pergola with the grapevine growing on it. An intergenerational area, to play bocce, cards, to look all around and to drink under the shades of the vines.
The Galleria
The path continues on the Galleria, crossing the courtyards underneath and the glasshouse of the building. The “cascade platforms� is the area for meditation or relaxing while reading a good book.
Art bubbles
On the northern wing, you can meet with your colleagues to play some music in the cages on the north wing, or stop there to paint in the evening.
The playground
Or you can have fun at the playground above the parking, jump, play with the fountains, slip into the slide, travel on the rocket or go as fast as a thunderbolt with the disc.
The fitness line
Last but not least, it depends on your motivation... the fitness line. Directly connected with the ground level, the playground, the TMC area and the party tribune. On the upper level, many platforms on the pathway’s sides, designed especially for free body activities and yoga and underneath many activities are possible: trx, bouldering on the wall of the TMC, pull ups, the rings, bars. After the activity you can choose: take a shower and remain to enjoy the sunset in front of a glass of juice or continue with cardio and steps direction “zuhause”.