In the final, the jury preferred Zaha Hadid's proposal to the ideas of local architects - Herzog & de Meuron and Morgen & Degelo.
The building of the "City Casino", added in 1939 to the concert hall of the late 19th century, no longer meets the requirements of today and, moreover, tomorrow. In addition, the owners wished to emphasize the musical traditions of the city and add another hall for musical events with 600-800 seats to the complex.
The jury motivated its decision by the fact that the Hadid project reflects the idea of forming a "homogeneous plastic mass" with various prominences, niches and inclusions of "foreign bodies" (in this case, an old concert hall). The new volume surrounds the old building, resembling the letter G in plan, their contrast emphasizes the features of each of the two parts.
The estimated cost of the restructuring is 100 million Swiss francs, the opening is scheduled for September 2009.
