Storage buildings and finishing tower Sihlhölzli Zurich
Hermann Herter conceived the sports complex situated
between two former river arms in a strict symmetry in
- The neoclassical gymnasium building and the neighbouring music pavilion by Robert Maillart to the north are listed buildings. In terms of Herterís original conception, the positioning of the new auxiliary buildings pursues a reinforcement of the park-like frame of the exterior space, which is spanned out around the central gymnasium hall. For this reason the equipment storage buildings are arranged symmetrically around the axis of the complex. Simultaneously, the lateral positioning of the two-storey finishing tower with timer at the other end of the complex almost imperceptibly shifts the overall frontal and central symmetrical character of the complex.
The new auxiliary buildings respect the given basic order,
but in fine-spatial terms encounter it with independence.
The structuring and materialisation of the buildings
are, according to their different functions and importance,
finely balanced to their respective encompassing
spaces. In relation to the urban context, linkages are
implemented by means of inversions and translucent
walls of glass bricks. Wall slabs of rammed earth mediate
to the landscape space, becoming three-dimensional
paintings through their haptic layering. Their imperfection
and craftsmanship become even more pronounced
in contrast with the sharp-edged concrete slabs
