Swiss Life I KPMG HQ
SWISS LIFE I KPMG HQ
Gruner&friends
ARCHITECTS
Gruner&friends
BUDGET
$100M +
AREA
300,000 sqft - 500,000 sqft
YEAR
2021
LOCATION
Zürich, Switzerland
CATEGORY
Commercial › Office
“THE EXISTING FACADE IS REMODELLED
WITH A NEW MINIMALISTIC DESIGN”
The former office building is situated at Badenerstrasse in central Zurich.
The existing building was completed in the early 80s and was in desperate need of being refurbished to adapt the façade construction to current and more efficient energy standards, to improve the overall image of the building as clear volumes in its surrounding, and to house the new KPMG headquarters.
The building was stripped down to its bare structure which is kept to retain the building’s zoning privileges.
The minimalist design approach emphasizes the existing vertical double columns and expresses the structure’s true appearance to the outside.
The client operates all around the world and every office location has a singular character. B
y projecting the geographic world map onto the floorplan, the building is divided into two main areas: “Generic Offices” and “Collaboration Spaces.”
The “Generic Offices” are located on to the intermediate floors, and clad with rough heavy precast concrete elements.
The use of highly reflective stainless steel façade elements on the ground and penthouse floors symbolizes lightness and transparency towards the more public “Collaboration Spaces”.
A mirrored stainless steel fascia architrave marks the transition between these two programs, which occasionally extend to shield the entrances in an inviting gesture.
GRUNER&FRIENDS is an international practice specializing in architecture, urbanism, research and design. Patrice Gruner established the office in Basel from where he and his friends operate worldwide.
GRUNER&FRIENDS develops multi-scale projects within a network of international specialists and partners in close cooperation with the clients.
Through careful research the office identify the physical (site) and nonphysical (cultural, economical, social) CONTEXT, in order to create unique CONCEPTS. The design process evolves into Architecture with distinctive CONTENT which adds value to contemporary life
