Project
Comptetition: Representative pavilion for the Innovation Park Zurich - 1st prize

Client
Stiftung Innovationspark Zürich

Constructor
Blumer-Lehmann AG / Gossau (Saint Gallen, Switzerland)

Specification
The new pavilion forms the gateway to the urban development platform of the Dübendorf site and is therefore the starting point for new and potential investment. This is expressed by its “lighthouse” character. Here, members of the public, interested parties and investors can find information, exhibitions and a cafeteria. The welcoming pavilion was designed as street furniture and is inviting with its very high quality experience for visitors and good views of the site and the alpine panorama.

The form of the building and the floor plans were developed according to the important axes of reference and lines of sight as regards urban development (building specifications at the Innovation Park, the alpine view of Säntis, the nearby street) as well as the requirements of the Stiftung Innovationspark. The building blends well into the existing ensemble of urban architecture and protected historical monuments and remains modest in its appearance. The design language takes reference from the various surrounding gable forms and the representative entrance draws attention to the new transformation in urban development.

The pavilion is divided into various private and public, as well as weather proof and thermally insulated, zones:

Ground floor: exhibition, offices, meeting rooms, cafeteria, misc. / thermally insulated + weatherproof
Ground and first floors: exhibition, meeting rooms / weatherproof
Roof: viewing platform / open air
Each of the functional and work areas has been designed with a modular concept.

The main structure comprises primary and secondary timber structures and is installed as an enveloping structure over pre-configured and pre-fabricated timber modules. A transparent/translucent membrane is fixed between the main structure and the slatted cladding of the facade as a weather protection cover. The support structure is constructed out of natural spruce whereas the timber of the exterior slats is treated with a silver-grey finish.

Thanks to its “open” facade, the pavilion appears light and permeable both in daylight and illuminated at night. This creates an interesting and focused area of debate between interior and exterior, or rather, exterior and interior. After the planned 8-year period, the pavilion can be dismantled and 100% recycled.