Relationships of Architecture and the Arts

There was a tradition where art appeared in relationship with space. This increased the expression of a work of art and enriched the possibilities of architectural expression. Our understanding has changed and while the arts have each opened its own field, works of art have become products within a capitalistic market.

An industrial site in the center of Zurich, between the river Sihl with the Sihl highway and the Kloppstockwiese park. The character of the site should be integrated into the new building with workshops on the ground and first floor and studios on the upper levels. A single storey building running along the Sihl remains and serves in addition to the ground floor, set opposite, creating a courtyard. The upper floors are divided into eight spaces, each with 107sm, equal the size of a new three-bedroom apartment in Zurich. Each studio can be reached directly through a staircase, or through an open loggia space, set next to the staircase. Each studio also has a hidden infrastructure consisting of a wardrobe, a sink big enough to serve as a small kitchen, a toilet, a shower and a closet. Its smallness allows for the rest of the space to be interpretable. A series of example floorplans shows some possible forms of living.\nFour works of art have been placed within the project: -A three piece concrete work of Peter Storrer is placed next to the building, slightly shifted from the street. The building forms a massive concrete bench as a gesture towards the people and a concrete socle is flush with the asphalt of the street, this concrete horizon surrounds the sculpture. The work occupies the space and dominates it. It works well with the vertical façade. -A relief of Trudi Demut is placed on the long side of the building. It’s orientated towards the courtyard and adds an optical weight towards the intersection. At the same time it works as a landmark, visible from the motorway. -Pietro Mattioli wished to have a concrete socle built into the spaces. This horizontal element was placed as a couple with the vertical element of a pillar. It can be used as a socle for an artwork or occupied by children. It is a fragment of a relationship, a bit disturbing but open to interpretation. -A artwork of Alvaro Siza conceived for the enclosed courtyard of the Royal Academy London, was placed at the transition point of the forecourt of the workshop and the Sihl forest. It’s a narrative of mystical nature on one and human occupied land on the other side.