Adaptation instead of new build
A binding building permit was recently granted to the project on Central square in Zurich that in 2020 developed out of a study contract. On the basis of their conviction that the history of the city is a process of permanent changes and transformations, instead of a new building EM2N proposed an adaptation strategy, which they justified in terms of making full use of the existing building from the 1970s, the sustainability of reusing and continuing to use the building shell and the natural stone of the facades, the logistical advantages for the construction process, and the architecturally interesting load-bearing structure with its ribbed ceiling slabs and oversized downstand beams. The open plinth area of the office building combines the ground floor, first floor and basement to create a spatially and programmatically interwoven organism, with a two-storey space for public functions.
