EUROPAALLEE 21. Europaallee House
Europaallee is expanding. The major bank UBS AG has already relocated to the new building, named Europaallee 21, situated beside Zurich’s main train station and its university of teacher education. Three renowned european architectural firms have designed the ensemble of four buildings: MAX DUDLER, ANNETTE GIGON / MIKE GUYER ARCHITECTS and
DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS.
"See all buildings of Europalle 21 ensemble":http://goo.gl/d1DZj
The urban plan for the site between Zurich’s Lagerstrasse and the track bed, to which Europaallee 21 belongs, dates back to a two-stage study commissioned by SBB AG in 2006 that Max Dudler won. On Max Dudler’s initiative, the competition’s runner up – the consortium Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer Architects and David Chipperfield Architects – was invited to collaborate on the development of Construction Site C based on the winning competition design. The UBS complex comprises four buildings, grouped like windmill sails around a public courtyard accessible from four sides. The individual buildings are connected
by bridges to form a unified whole. Max Dudler designed two of the buildings, the remaining two being designed by David Chipperfield Architects and Gigon/Guyer Architects respectively. The collaborative nature of the new ensemble – the result of close cooperation between the three architectural firms – is in keeping with the major bank’s own image.
UBS’s representative offices will be in Europaallee 21 of central Zurich’s new Europaallee district. Following Kees Christiaanse’s masterplan, this district is being developed alongside the narrowed tracks of Zurich’s main train station. Europaallee 21 is situated between Lagerstrasse and the track bed. Construction Site A lies to the east, and Construction Site E to the west. The planned completion date for the new Europaallee district is 2020. The new district will incorporate 6 000 workplaces, 2 500 study spaces, 300 apartments, one hotel, shops and restaurants as well as other leisure activities. On Construction Site A, Europaallee Quarter’s first new edifice, completed in autumn 2012, was a four-building ensemble by Max Dudler, which houses Zurich’s University of Teacher Education, as well as a shopping mall and offices. Prior to the decision to develop the tract of land in 2006, the area was being used by the Swiss Federal Railways and the Swiss Postal Service and was not accessible to the public.
Designed by Max Dudler, Europaallee House occupies the north-west corner of the building ensemble. Due to its prominent position on Europaallee, it has been chosen to house the main foyer of UBS Bank and its subsidiaries. Despite (or perhaps because of) this, the building remains true to the original urban planning concept, its design being in keeping with the other three buildings in the ensemble. Only its entrance hall, clad in white Carrara marble, is more voluminous and prestigious in appearance than those of the other buildings. The first floor corridor connecting all four buildings is also visible from the entrance hall.
The impact of the building’s façade is due to its sequence of flat, reflective window elements set into a graceful relief of deep shadow recesses. In technical terms, the elemental façade consists of double-glazed, floor-to-ceiling, box-type windows. This style of architecture develops from the detail, while the repetition of glass elements clearly communicates the building’s underlying purpose and identity: in short, the office retains the appearance of an office.
Building volume
Gross floor area: 12 700 m2
Gross building volume: 47 300 m3
Summary
Office building with retail use on ground floor and staff restaurants on ground and first floors
Project team
Implementation (2010–2013): Maren Jatzek, Matthias Lovis (planning manager), Vivien Merchak, Hannes Reichel, Axel Schmidt (deputy project manager), Markus Weissenmayer
Project planning with TU submission (2007–2009): Niklas Bahners, Anna Bartels, Sarah Dichter, Hannah Ferlic, Gesine Gummi, Clive Hildering, Jörg Jakubczak, Maren Jatzek, Julius Kranefuss, Andreas Lamprecht, Silke Meier zu Evenhausen, Isabelle Meissner, Henrik Mundorf, Valentin Niessen, Lisa Onnen, Max Rein, Marcel Rüther
Competition and study contract (2006/2007): with Britta Fitze and Maike Schrader Project Team: Nina Barthélémy, Clive Hildering, Max Rein, Andrea Schregenberger, Marco Strobel, Mark van Kleef, Renwen Yang; Rendering: Mara Callovi
EUROPAALLEE 21 BUILDING ENSEMBLE
Building volume
Site surface area: 7 400 m2
Gross floor area: 56 700 m2
Gross building volume: 213 000 m3
Competition
Two-stage study with pre-qualification January–August 2006
1st place: Max Dudler, Zurich
2nd place: consortium Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer Architekten and David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin
Timeline
Planning/implementation: 2007–2013
Draft project: March–October 2007
Building application: September 2008
Beginning of construction: May 2010
Completion: February 2013
Planning/Implementation
Planning committee
Max Dudler Gigon/Guyer David Chipperfield (as general planner until TU Submission)
Credits
General Contractor:
Implenia Schweiz AG, Dietlikon
Project Management: Mark van Kleef, deputy manager Daniel Hövels (Max Dudler’s office)
Landscape architects: Schweingruber Zulauf Landschaftsarchitekten, Zurich
Structural engineers:
Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner Beratende Ingenieure VBI GmbH, Berlin
Dr. J. Grob & Partner AG, Winterthur
Electrical engineers:
bürgin & keller management & engineering ag, Adliswil
Thomas Lüem + Partner AG, Dietikon
Building services:
Polke, Ziege, von Moos AG Ingenieure für Gebäudetechnik, Zurich
Building physics/acoustics:
Kopitsis Bauphysik AG, Wohlen
Fire protection engineers:
Gruner AG Ingenieure und Planer, Zurich
Lighting Designers:
matí AG Lichtgestaltung, Adliswil
Façade planning:
gkp fassadentechnik ag, Aadorf
Security planning/Door Management:
Amstein + Walthert AG, Zurich
Gastronomy planning:
planbar ag, Zurich
Quantity surveyor and scheduling:
Freiraum Baumanagement AG, Zurich (until TU Submission)
