When you enter Zurich, the view from the train window is much more urban than from the car window: nowhere are the city's high-rise buildings more densely lined up than along the railway tracks, whether in Altstetten, Oerlikon, Leutschenbach or at the main station. The reasons for this are manifold: the city's largest public is concentrated around the railway stations, and along the track fields (which are all in the same hands) the shading of the surrounding area by tall buildings does not bother anyone.
The building is divided into three slices, the middle one supporting the outer two. The slices on the sides protrude far into the track and street space. Deep notches accentuate the layered tectonics of the structure and emphasise the verticality of the building on the front sides, which is actually rather a tall building than a high-rise with its 40 metres height. In order to link this building with the city, the street space is extended out into the track area: the base structure, heavy with mineral materials and densely covered with foliage, can only be seen from the track area, but opens up an attractive forecourt between the building and the city.
The intersection of Regensbergstrasse and Hofwiesenstrasse may not be a location for a lighthouse project in the sense of «signature architecture» – but the exposed location is ideal for a lighthouse in terms of sustainability. That is why the new building is consistently designed with this goal and its architectural communication in mind. The lightness and slenderness of the structure is all the more striking as the tall building is held in a precarious balance. This is because it not only projects far out over the railway tracks, but also over the road. Free of supports, there is plenty of space for public-orientated uses under the protection of the overhang.
Perhaps the large, covered body is reminiscent of a zeppelin, whose huge, feather-light body hangs close above our heads and would love to take off while its passenger gondola briefly touches the ground. And the structure is reminiscent of a parasol, with its light poles, held to the ground by a heavy base, cantilevering upwards and always keeping its balance.
