Haus zum Falken building in Zurich

About

This new mixed-use building in Zurich revitalizes the area around Stadelhofen Station. Its glass facade, with folds and undulations, creates kinetic panels that produce shifting reflections all day. Located at the eastern end of Stadelhoferplatz and encompassing about 2,275 square meters, it fills an urban void and seals Santiago Calatrava’s relationship with the Swiss city, begun in the 1980s with an enlargement of the same station. Under the building is one of the project’s most ambitious elements: three levels of parking for about 800 bicycles, an infrastructure in compliance with municipal strategies to reorganize bike traffic and remove open-air parking on Stadelhofer Platz, freeing up the square for exclusive pedestrian use. The site, narrow and with groundwater, required a highly complex plan for executing the foundation and the waterproofing. On a stone plinth stands the main volume, composed of glass and vertical steel profiles. Inside, an atrium rising flour floors and a sculptural staircase form the heart of the building’s space. The higher floors, column-free and flexible, adapt to different uses. The wooden finishes and golden tones enhance the double-height foyer and make it welcoming. The enclosure, optimized both acoustically and thermally, ensure a silent atmosphere, even with the trams and trains running close by.