Herzog & de Meuron
Project
1993, 1995, 1997
Realization
1998-2000

For the Commercial and Apartment Building Dornacherplatz we first created an urban study that reorganized an area between the medieval suburb and the 19th century periphery development and integrated it into the urban structure.

The building derives its scale from the buildings of the railway company and provides the rather peripheral square with an urban frame for the first time. This approach resulted in a building that is individually shaped towards each side and lively in its multiplicity.

Aside from the ground plan the façade is the main element contributing to the solitary presentation of the building. The structural glazing flows around the volume like a tightly fitting skin that has solidified into glass. Once, the glass is an especially reflecting mirror, once, it forms its own spatial layer with windows that are placed at an angle into the parapets. Then the parapet and window strips reunite and profile the building in an urban sense with sharp edges. Interior and exterior space seem to intersperse and restrict each other in multiple ways.

On the apartment floor, the open access corridor and the courtyards are clad in oak wood paneling. This ambivalence turns the top level of the building into an individually shaped element that offers a surprising and unexpected solution in the on-going discussion about living in an urban context.

Herzog & de Meuron.

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102_CP_0006_500
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102_CP_0006_701
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102_CP_0006_501
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102_CP_0006_700_MS

Process

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102_SI_9309_501
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102_MO_0001_102_01Ma
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102_DR_0008_504
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102_DR_0008_500
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102_DR_000601_500_site
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102_MU_0008_502
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102_MU_0008_503
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102_MU_0008_500

The glazing of the parapet is printed with dots of varying density.

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102_MU_0008_501

The windows and parapets form diverse curves on the longitudinal façade facing the main road.

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102_CP_0006_701

The building displays a complex geometry where it opens onto the adjacent square. The parapets and window ribbons meet at the edge.

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102_CP_0006_719_MS

Drawings

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102_DR_000601_500_site
102_DT_000601_500_Sturz
102_DT_000601_500_Sturz
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102_DT_000601_501_Sturz

Team

Facts

Client
Helvetia Versicherungen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Planning
Electrical Engineering: Grau + Scherler, Solothurn, Switzerland
HVAC Engineering: Gruneko, Basel, Switzerland
Plumbing Engineering: Arm + Partner, Solothurn, Switzerland
Structural Engineering: Weber Angehrn Meyer, Solothurn, Switzerland
General Contractor: Conti Generalunternehmung, Solothurn, Switzerland
Specialist / Consulting
Acoustics Consulting: M.Lienhard, Langenbruck, Switzerland
Building Physics Consulting: Zimmermann + Leuthe, Altigkofen, Switzerland
Facade Consulting: Emmer Pfenninger Partner, Münchenstein, Switzerland
Building Data
Site Area: 19'784 sqft, 1'838 sqm
Gross floor area (GFA): 56'338 sqft, 5'234 sqm
Footprint: 10'806 sqft, 1'004 sqm
Gross volume (GV): 771'343 cbft, 21'842 cbm

Bibliography

Gerhard Mack, Herzog & de Meuron: “Herzog & de Meuron 1992-1996. The Complete Works. Volume 3.” Edited by: Gerhard Mack. Chinese ed. Beijing, China Architecture & Building Press, 2010. Vol. No. 3.

Fernando Márquez Cecilia, Richard Levene (Eds.): “El Croquis. Herzog & de Meuron 1998-2002. La Naturaleza del Artificio. The Nature of Artifice.” Vol. No. 109/110, Madrid, El Croquis, 2002.