Study Central 2, Zurich (CH)

The modern, sustainable office building at Zurich‘s Central, one of the most important traffic junctions in the city centre, offers the opportunity to redefine the urban layout of this square. Our striking head-end building positions itself as the ‚house on the square‘ and at the same time marks the beginning of two important traffic axes.

Urban Context
The clear construction of our new building maps its structure and makes it legible. The grid-shaped, ceramic-clad façade appears noble and sober, with refined details such as differently bevelled window reveals. Wide, deep columns compensate for the large, floor-to-ceiling glazing of the two-storey base, giving it a confidence-inspiring visual stability. The narrower grid of the office floors follows the rhythm of the façade of the surrounding buildings. The three-part narrow square façade with the recessed attic storey forms the memorable face of the building on Central.

Spatial organisation
The two-storey base houses a café and the coworking space. A separate entrance leads to the office floors, which are centrally and efficiently accessed via stairs and lift. This massive, central access core at the rear of the building also guarantees structural bracing. The shafts for the building services and the sanitary rooms are arranged along this core. The floor plans allow for flexible use of the office space.

Construction
The lightweight timber construction allows for a high degree of prefabrication and a fast and low-emission construction process. Timber construction is also the ideal building method due to the very cramped site with limited space for equipment.
In the interior, the timber construction remains visible and tangible. The surfaces (floors, acoustic ceilings, partition walls) are largely made of wood. This not only fulfils the building‘s high demand for sustainability and careful use of resources, but also for atmosphere and quality of life in the working environment. High-quality materials and a superior finish are at the core of the concept.