Project description from Oliver Dibrova:
Zürich-West is today in a state of complete transformation and flux as extensive conversions of its industrial zones, old buildings and spaces are perpetuating entirely new neighborhoods, office space, housing, restaurants, clubs and public infrastructure. The development of Zürich – West, which is becoming a city onto itself, parallels the growing municipalities surrounding it. As these areas expand and merge into and with one another, there are numerous potentials for the development and configurations of new urban density and architecture. Merge- City_ZurichWest is an investigation of potential architectures that act as catalysts and protagonists for these new territories and city space, confronting traditional downtown/ old-town city models with new notions of urbanism that address contemporary conditions of economically driven cultural growth.
By reason of our analysis we recognized, that the areas east and west of the Hardtbrücke are programatically and structurally divided, which also effects their night and daytime activity. The western area is more cultural and therefore more frequented during the night-time, the eastern consists more of business and residential areas and is mostly used during the day. Our goal is to balance this out with an interface. We chose hardtbrücke as planing site, not because of seeing it as the main problem, but as a chance to redevelop it to an interface. It is a characteristic of that area and should remain, but redeveloped.
Our interface fills out the unused places of the bridge, non – places are redefined and used in a new way. The program consists of a media – library with an auditorium for films, performances and other events, the media – museum and exhibition areas. Coupled to the main program are different restaurants, lounges, cafe´s and a club which also can be used as an event area. In addition, the public space extends to the roof of the building in form of a landscape.
the areas east and west of the Hardtbrücke are programatically and structurally devided, which also effects their night and daytime activity. The western area is more cultural and therefore more frequented during the night-time, the eastern consists more of business and residential areas and is mostly used during the day.
Credits:
Studio Hani Rashid
Hani Rashid _ visiting professor of architectural design
Teaching Assistants: Suzanne Song, Alex Hurst, Philippe Luc Barman
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.