Conversion entrance office building Mühlebachstrasse Zürich, 2008

The entrance area of the headquarters of the global corporation Diethelm Keller Holding on Mühlebachstrasse was to be re-designed in 2008. For this purpose, the entrance was extended to the facade so that visitors would immediately notice the continuous, wave-like figure in the room when entering the building. The inserted lining made of bent plywood was covered with an exotic wood veneer. The extension of the entrance area opened up enough space for a vestibule with two glazed sliding doors. A terrazzo replaced the existing stone coating and received a circular, embedded dirt trap. The staircase was kept, the existing banister replaced by room-high rods. Images cut up into strips were applied to the sides of the rhombic bars. Viewers are able to assemble the picture by themselves when passing by. This intervention is based on the idea of creating a reference to the company's origins and history with applied photographs from the company's collection. As transition to the balconies, a diorama was proposed, which serves as a diffuse spatial filter and shows a view of the rainforest. The detailed composition, which was designed in collaboration with Vogt Landscape Architects, reflects the commercial activity of the company and creates a window to Asia.