It was the first part of the new development area to be completed, stretching parallel to the railroad tracks. The new quarter, planned back in 2006, is called Europaallee ("Alley of Europe"), after the street on which it is located. It will provide the city with 1,800 student places, 6,000 jobs and 400 apartments. There will also be a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a recreational area. The quarter is divided into several “construction sites” (Baufelder A – H), for each of which its own competition was held and its own architects were chosen.
Swiss architect Max Dudler designed two of them: A and C. Completion of the entire Europaallee is scheduled for 2018, but this year Dudler completed an ensemble of three new buildings on site A, which make up the new campus of the Pedagogical Institute Zurich
The main task of his project, Dudler called an attempt to "fit" the new buildings into the context of the old city: the height of the buildings is strictly observed, corresponding to the quarters surrounding the station. The architect also took into account the appearance of historic buildings, and such elements of the urban landscape as benches, fountains and street lighting should complete the picture of “timeless European identity”, echoing the “continental” name of the new quarter.
Baufeld A is opposite the famous Silpost building: this is the main post office in Zurich, built in 1929 by the architects Bräm brothers in the spirit of “new materiality”. Its elegant appearance has become, according to Max Dudler, a reference point for his new building project. Dudler chose limestone for the wall cladding, and against its light background, glass windows in dark frames form a strict rhythm. Small vertical niches create additional accents between the rows of windows, somewhat softening the overall severity of the building's image.
The buildings are united into an ensemble by an area located between them, to which wide staircases lead. To the south of it there is a building with auditoriums and a nursery, to the west - a building with workshops and music studios, as well as sports halls, unexpectedly placed on the upper floors. The building to the north of the central square houses offices and commercial spaces. The basement premises of the campus will also be given to the shopping center, from which it will be possible to get to the main station through the passage.
At Dudler's second site, designated C and adjacent to Baufeld A to the west, the architect worked with David Chipperfield and Guigon / Guillier. There are planned four buildings for a large bank, which will form a single complex thanks to bridges-passages. This ensemble will be completed in 2013.
Nastya Tarasova
