Ambassador House, Opfikon Renovation and reconstruction. Binzstrasse 18, 8045 Zürich Telefon

Transcription

1 Ambassador House, Opfikon Renovation and reconstruction Binzstrasse 18, 8045 Zürich Telefon

2 Content Text 3 Pictures (before /after) 4 Site plan 5 Construction stages 6 Plans 7 Pictures (today) 10 Facts & figures 14 Legal notice Editing:, Sonja Lüthi Photographs: Jürg Zimmermann, Zurich; Rory Gardiner, London (p.4 top, 10)

3 Text When Ambassador House was completed in 1989, it towered like a post-modern Noah s ark over the centre of the suburban area that joined north Zurich and the Zurich airport. The new Glattpark district did not yet exist, and neither did the Glattalbahn railway system. The objective of the complete renovation was to re-integrate the prominent building within the altered urban surroundings and restore its competitiveness. Beyond the technical modernisation, the architectural demands in particular were very high. The late-post-modern appearance and structure were to be optimised so as to create a new prestigious address and a high-quality, flexible range of spaces. Based on market analyses, the decision was made to convert the former hotel / office space into a pure office building with additional semi-public spaces on the ground floor. In view of the high level of flexibility of the logical building structure, constructed on an 8 x 8 m grid, the potential of the original structure was maximally exploited and only optimised where necessary, albeit then with more substantial interventions. The three-part structure of foundation, central building and upper floors has been preserved. The tower-like superstructure embellished with round arches, which used to contain hotel rooms, has been replaced by purely functional service towers. This means that, despite being over 30 metres tall, the building is no longer subject to high-rise regulations. The inner courtyards of the upper floors have been extended down to the ground floor, and the equivalent space added to the upper levels instead. The central building now sweeps out toward Zurich, signalling the presence of the new main entrance where the entrance to the parking garage used to be. Through the structure and materials, the scale of the building seems to adapt to the vantage point of the beholder. From afar, the parapet bands made of ribbed ceramic plates appear as a dark mass; up close, the structure is a multifaceted, urban building that reflects the moods of weather and light. 3

4 Pictures (from top to bottom): New Glattalbahn-Stopp Glattpark, Original condition (August 2011) and today (July 2018) 4

5 Site plan m

6 Construction stages Left (from top to bottom): original condition, removal (green) total and cross-section, existing structure Right (f.t.t.b.) addition and construction (violet) total and cross-section, final state 6

7 Plans 1st basement and ground floor m

8 1 st and 2 nd floor m

9 3 rd floor and longitudinal section m

10 10

11 Entrance and street frontage with landscape planing by Nipkow Landschaftsarchitekten (left) 11

12 Continuous public passageway with new atriums and entrance hall (bottom) 12

13 Conference area in 1st floor with terrace andcustomised lamps 13

14 Since 1946 Ambassador House, Opfikon Renovation and reconstruction Type of commission: Direct commission Client: Credit Suisse Real Estate Fund Interswiss, UBS (CH) Property Fund - Swiss Mixed «Sima» und UBS (CH) Property Fund - Swiss Residential «Anfos» Location: Thurgauerstrasse 101, 8152 Opfikon (Zurich), Switzerland Gross floor area: m 2 (approximate usable floorspace per floor m 2 ) Room arrangement: Office ( working spaces), co-working, restaurant, shops, fitness spaces, conference spaces, underground parking Planing phase: Construction phase: Sustainability certificate: LEED Platin Project team Architecture:, Zurich Sole contractor: Halter AG, Zurich Civil engineer: Basler & Hofmann AG, Zurich Elektrical engineer: R+S Engineering AG, Sargans HVAC engineer: Polke, Ziege, von Moos AG, Zurich Building physics: Lemon Consult AG, Zurich Landscape architecture: Nipkow Landschaftsarchitekten AG, Zurich Lighting design: Reflexion AG, Zurich Signage system: Bivgrafik GmbH, Zurich Binzstrasse 18, 8045 Zürich Telefon