Design-contest in Zürich West

The west of Zurich is, and long has been, a hot destination. It is also the fastest-growing part of Switzerland’s economic metropolis. Zurich West embodies a vibrant urban lifestyle inspired by the mobility and independence of youth. It is a place where urban living meets an international outlook; a new canvas for multicultural forms of expression. A former industrial quarter, it enjoys the unstoppable dynamism that comes from people working, living and going out all in the same place. In the beating heart of Zurich West, a new structure – the Hard Turm Park development – is being created that is of considerable significance in terms of urban planning. It will provide hundreds of people with office space, homes and shopping facilities and a green area for leisure and recreation. The centrepiece of the Hard Turm Park is a high-rise building containing 121 flats, the top two floors of which house a series of luxury maisonette apartments. The unique interior fittings in these flats are an absolute highlight, rivalled only by the unparalleled views across to Lake Zurich and west along the Limmat Valley.

Design Scouting Talents is an opportunity for the next generation to demonstrate their skills on a real-life building, and is another facet of the encounter between industry and culture in Hard Turm Park. “The aim of Design Scouting Talents is to encourage young architects and designers to showcase their ideas in the design of a luxury apartment,” explains Vincent Albers, CEO of Hardturm AG. “In the flats on the top two floors of the tower building there is a particularly strong emphasis on quality design and materials. We want not just to allow avant-garde solutions, but to actively encourage them wherever possible. In top-end apartments like these, it takes extraordinary ideas to win over potential buyers. An exclusive location of this kind, way up above the city, calls for solutions that are nothing less than completely unique. We are running the Design Scouting Talents competition in collaboration with Casa Vogue to give young talents the chance to show what they can do. The process of design is a thrilling balancing act between finite space and creative freedom. It will be interesting to see what response the spaces evoke. One major criterion on which the quality of the solutions will be judged is how well they tie in with the architecture, and we believe that the architecture here is perfect for kick-starting the creativity of these young designers.”

130601 Schweizer Illustrierte