Prime Tower

Zurich, Switzerland

2011

Architect: Gigon/Guyer

Given Zürich's international renowned the dilemma of how it can become a "city of the 21st

century" without comprimising it's natural beauty engulfs local architectual discussion.

The fear for the city is that given the continued economic growth, anonymous towers will

replace the endemic community turning it into a zone lacking any ties with local culture or

typology.

For this reason, the urban regenration projects of Zürich West are of importance. Formally

an industrial site , the development around the metro stop Hardbrücke is now the theater

for the city's response to increased demand for expensive office floor space. The

unavoidable construction of a tower in response to densification, namely, the Prime Tower,

stands at 126m high and is the tallest building in all of Switzerland. While unique in form

enough to make it iconic, the subtle gestures of the cantelevered edges make it

conservative and fitting in its landscape.

The tower is an ode to detail: the way which the windows open mimick the canteleverd

sides of the building. Thus, when windows are "open" they add visual interest to the façade.

The choice in color mimicks the blue-green of the lake and surrounding grass and trees on

the mountainside.

Despite the tower playing host to some of Zürich's high-end service sector, the top floor

restaurant as well as ground-floor cafés are open to the public.