Congress Center in Zurich by Rafael Moneo

Since last week, the competition projects for the new congress center in Zurich have been on display. They will be exhibited until mid-May in the building of the existing center from the late 1930s, which is to be replaced by the winning project of Rafael Moneo. In October of last year, the jury selected three designs from ten projects for further development. On March 31, 2006, the project by the Spanish architect was definitively chosen. Peter Zumthor, the chair of the jury, said about the project: “The architect trusts in the energy and quality of the surrounding city. In his architectural design, he attempted to connect these urban influences with the congress center, creating a transition between the city, the park, and the lakeshore. Claridenstraße will continue further, the Tonhalle (concert hall) will remain protected, and the new building will only be cautiously enlarged. The villa Rosau has also been preserved with part of its garden. The new hotel building surrounds both the villa and the garden. The project works in fragments on a small scale and sensitively fits into its surroundings. The main building, characterized by a large independent roofing over the grand hall and auditorium, offers a number of yet to be fully developed meeting places. From the lake, it appears as if the building is topped with sails or wings.” Info>