Kreuzbühl School Building

Zurich, Switzerland

Photo © Michael Egloff

Photo © Ralph Feiner

Schools

Architects: Fischer Architekten AG

Location: Kreuzbühlstrasse 16, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
Year: 2015
Client: Basilius Vogt Stiftung

Kreuzbühl Freie Katholische Schule occupies a central position close to Stadelhofen train station in the city of Zurich. With its staggered layout and concrete materiality, the new building responds sensitively to the existing school. The nuanced use of the material gives the new schoolhouse its own unmistakable identity.
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The characteristic feature of the built surroundings close to the centre of Zurich is the gradual dissolution of the block perimeter, the buildings border a park-like setting that meets the street space at places. Together with the existing school the new building is harmoniously inserted in a series of existing freestanding buildings and helps to make the urban situation more precise. Two prominent projections enable it to continue the theme of the stepped facade on the street front. The existing floor plan structure is developed further, creating a homogeneous and intrinsically logical complex.

The single-storey entrance hall connects the new building with the existing one. Lounge and circulation areas have a high degree of spatial permeability. A staircase (doubled at places) provides vertical access in the new building. A panorama window in the staircase hall on the street side creates a connection to the city, whereas all the classrooms face towards the park or the villa, which leads to a massive reduction in noise pollution.