Prime Tower, Swiss Office Building, Project, Design, Zurich Property

Prime Tower, Switzerland : Office Development Zurich

Swiss Architecture – design by Gigon/Guyer

Prime Tower Zurich

Office building ‘Prime Tower’ with annexes, Zurich
2010
Design: Gigon/Guyer Architekten

Prime Tower Building

Prime Tower is a building that is basically simple in shape and structure but varied in appearance. The design aimed, on the one hand, for a ground plan yielding a maximum number of well-lit workplaces and, on the other, for an overall shape that is both striking and different in impact from all directions. The outcome of these efforts is a building on an irregular polyhedral ground plan that works against perceptual habits by broadening towards the top.

The high-rise building is located on industrial premises that were once closed off. Now in a process of redevelopment, the area will gradually be converted into a business and residential district with attendant services. Situated in the immediate vicinity of Hardbrücke railway station, the building will be the tallest in Zurich and, in fact, in all of Switzerland- at least for the time being. It is a distinctive feature not only of the neighbourhood, but also of the entire up-and-coming district of Zurich West.

In terms of urban planning, the building has a dual significance, relating to its impact when seen from nearby and from a distance. From afar, it appears as an abstract, elegant volume made from greenish glass that changes depending on whether it is seen from the side (from the north or south) or head-on (from the east or west). The planes of the façade, slanted in various directions, reflect the light and the surroundings in different ways, articulating and subdividing the volume of the building into what might be called gigantic ‘pixel surfaces’. The impression the building makes when seen nearby also changes with the spectator’s standpoint. These close-up views reveal that the projecting portions of the building exert an integrating effect on the surroundings. The optical effect derives from a kind of dialogue between the vanishing lines of the projecting sections of the new structure and those of the roofs of the surrounding buildings. The projecting parts provide a sense of scale that articulates the ascending planes of the façade. By widening towards the top instead of narrowing, the building looks somewhat like an icicle, a vertical counterpart to the urban development around it.

At Geroldstrasse, a spacious outdoor area between the high-rise building and the new neighbouring building, Cubus (Cube), leads to the entrance of the Prime Tower and into Lichtstrasse. Towards the listed building sited diagonally in the south-west, a plaza has been created, screened from traffic noise and providing space for outdoor seating for the restaurant.
The ground floor, open to the public, houses a restaurant, shops and a café for the use of both office employees and passers-by. A special feature on the top floor are two semi-public Sky Courts, a Sky Lounge and a fine Dinning Restaurant.

The cores and emergency stairs are arranged so that two, three or four tenants can occupy offices on the same floor or, conversely, one business can occupy several floors, with internal staircases. The projecting portions of the building create additional office space on the higher and therefore more profitable stories of the building as well as providing greater variety in using the space for different types of offices.

The load-bearing skeleton structure of the tower is made of concrete with buttressing cores. The projections are supported by slanting the supports of the façade over two or three stories. The façades consist of an insulating glazing. To enhance conditions at the workplace, and to meet fire regulations that require smoke ventilation, every alternate window can be opened. The prefabricated windows are frameless on the exterior. They grant the building the appearance of a unified glass volume. The greenish tint enhances the building’s resemblance to a multifaceted crystal.

Prime Tower Office building : G/G (Planning State Sep 06) / Translation C. Schelbert (ü)

Prime Tower Zurich – Building Information

Site/Address: Hardstrasse 219, Zurich
Spatial Programme: Office high-rise building with restaurants and shops
Competition: Apr – Oct 2004, 1.st Prize
Planning/Execution: Planning: 2004-06 Execution: 2007-10
Client: SPS Immobilien AG, Olten
Architecture: Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer, Architects, Zurich
Collaborators:
Competition: Stefan Thommen (Project manager), Franziska Bächer
Planning/Submission: Projektmanagement: Stefan Thommen, Christoph Rothenhöfer (up to 04/2007), Christian Maggioni und Pieter Rabijns (since11/2007).
Franziska Bächer, Armin Baumann, Raffaela Bisceglia, Martin Bischofberger, Urs Meyer, Leander Morf, Roberto Outumuro, Rafael Schmid, Karin Schultze, Alex Zeller
Landscape Architecture: Schweingruber Zulauf, Landschaftsarchitekten, Zurich
Interior design / Office concept: ZED / Hannes Wettstein, Zurich
Civil Engineer: Dr. Schwartz Consulting, Zug ; Dr. Lüchinger+Meyer Bauingenieure AG, Zurich

Prime Tower Zurich Switzerland images / information from Gigon/Guyer Architekten

Gigon/Guyer

Location: Hardstrasse 219, Zurich, Switzerland