Europaallee Construction Plot B

Zürich, Switzerland

Photo © Studio Willen, Zurich

Photo © Studio Willen, Zürich

Mixed Use

Architects: Stücheli Architekten

Location: Europaplatz 4/8/12, 8004 Zürich, Switzerland
Year: 2019
Client: SBB Immobilien Portfolio Management

The office/commercial building has a central location by Zurich’s main railway station, forming the start of the new Europaallee district together with the Zurich University of Teacher Education. Situated on a narrow, trapezoidal plot between the railway tracks and Europaplatz, the building comprises a two-storey base and seven-storey tower. On the narrow side along Europaplatz, the building rises into a ten-storey frontage structure, making it a high-rise. The look is primarily derived from the structure of the building. The façade has been constructed to be highly repetitive, with a dynamic grid pattern on the transition to the glazed base storeys, where heavy-duty girders absorb the weight of the upper stories. The only purely formal elements are the complementary displacements of the three sections of the building, with which the construction reacts to its environment. This accentuates the open character of the shop and restaurant spaces on the ground floor on the side of the building facing Europaplatz, while the side facing the railway tracks mimics a signal box. The façade is covered with Swedish black granite, the frames of the wooden windows from chromed steel, and the sun protection on the upper floors from glossy stainless steel micro-slats.