The Swiss office of one of the most famous insurance companies in the world is located on Richtistrasse, in the new business district of Zurich, bordering the historic center. The plot had the shape of a polygon, and this largely determined the architectural and compositional solution of the complex. It consists of a 20-storey tower and a five-storey building, both of which have a trapezoidal shape and are replete with expressive sharp corners. The buildings are interconnected by a system of four crossings-bridges.
The general plan for the development of the area prescribed that all buildings under construction here receive facades of natural stone, but Ville Arets came up with a more subtle way. The facades of the Allianz headquarters are made of fritted glass with a marble pattern. Moreover, the architects used not an abstract drawing, but a photo of fragments of black marble walls of the famous pavilion of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Barcelona. Applied to glass, it makes the facades conditionally "stone": being in no way inferior in solidity to its closest neighbors, the new building at the same time looks intriguing and modern. Aluminum curtains located between two layers of glass are an organic complement to this “dress”: automatically controlled, they help to regulate the level of lighting in the interior.
One of the decorations of the central lobby is a black and white staircase connecting the entrance area with the tower. The minimalist color scheme set by her is supported by the snow-white walls and the same perforated steel ceiling panels. The latter are hidden behind the heating and air conditioning systems, and the numerous openings are folded into a pattern designed to recall the traditional decor of the eaves of Swiss chalets.
The central lobby, like the entire ground floor of the headquarters, is accessible to all comers. In fact, these spaces were interpreted by the architects as a continuation of the pedestrian zone around the buildings. In addition, after passing through them, you can get into the comfortable courtyards. Interestingly, the restaurant and cafe are located not here, at ground level, but only on the fifth floor - they serve as a kind of "buffer zone" separating the part of the building that guests have access to, and the actual office premises intended only for company employees. In particular, the fourth floor of the complex is occupied by conference rooms and meeting rooms, which provide a lot of opportunities for interaction with clients and business partners. You can also take a break from the working day and hold an informal meeting on one of the terraces arranged on the roof of the 5-storey building.
