by Alexander Bonte / J.Christoph Buerkle
High-rises for Zurich: The Ensemble on Quadro Square
Oerlikon, a district in the north of Zurich, marks the start of a linear city parallel to Zurich, which is in the process of becoming the most populous conurbation in Switzerland. This interface is also the location of the largest high-rise ensemble in Switzerland, which represents a radical feature of this new urban formation and was designed jointly by atelier ww and Max Dudler. The four high-rises surround a square and form an urban quad, which was intended to be the catalyst for the development of the surrounding district. “Finally there is a square again”, was how Raymond Hood described the Rockefeller Center in 1929, and both back then and now in this case it was about importing a very particular urban vision. The high-rise ensemble in Oerlikon is a consequential and emblematic group of buildings, a city within a city. This publication documents the complex design and planning history of this building complex through texts, photographs, plans, and sketches.
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