Designed by Wiel Arets Architects, A mixed-use program of office and retail, with private residences above, define the Blumenhaus. The building is an integral component of a larger effort by the city of Zürich to rebrand its Escher-Wyss district through a metamorphosis of new development, including green spaces, bikes lanes, and a plethora of new housing. The district is characterized by its industrial heritage, and palette of raw concrete, burgundy brick, and rusted steel; it is bounded to its north by the Limmat River, and to its south by the entanglement of railway tracks that lead to the city?s main train station. Blumenhaus is adjacent to a former ship-building hall?or Schiffbau, in German?of Escher Wyss & Cie., an industrial company that was absorbed by another in the twentieth century; its expertise was turbines and electrical engineering. When the company left this location, the area began to decline in its industrial prominence, opening a path toward its redevelopment. Yet, some industry continues to inhabit the district, enabling a confluence of gastronomic, commercial, service, and other residential-supporting businesses to further define this once neglected area, just north of Zürich?s old city center. Photography: Jan Bitter
When Escher-Wyss is juxtaposed against the city center?which abuts Lake Zurich?industrial relics dominate; yet it is intertwined with the center, by the Hardbrücke railway station, in tandem with numerous trams. Stealthily slipping i...