a brief description of the building
client: coop switzerland
coop shopping centre with tenants [lodgers?]
gross floor surface: 5'000 sqm
built volume: 30'000 m3
situation
at the immediate edge of the village on the main road a one storey building was to be erected for a coop centre with a minimal budget and within a very short time. The site is situated in a slightly depressed area and is therefore not optimally visible. furthermore a small stream nearby holds a certain risk of flooding.
solution
a central axis covered by
a glass roof is arranged through the
whole new building. by this daylight is lead into the building's inside
and at the same time an orientation guide is created. at the entrance a
terse canopy serves as a weather protection on the one hand and on the
other hand gives a lighter appearance to the construction. on the left
hand side of the entrance the restaurant with a terrace is situated. to
the right supermarket trolleys are stored.
originally a prominent suspension was planned on the roof. therewith
the building would have been enhanced optically and the coop centre's
visibility in the small depressed area would have been improved. above
all, the interior space could have been created without any columns.
these measures however were not according to the general contractor's
philosophy. yet the chosen alternative is architecturally acceptable.
likewise a band of windows was planned around the building. with it the
construction should have been provided with additional daylight on the
one hand and on the other hand the roof's pending character by night
should have been supported. the client however rejected this solution.
Instead anthracite iron sheeting was used to give it at least the same
effect by day and to structure the huge elevation.
the elevation covered by corrugated aluminium sheeting is vertically
subdivided by anthracite coloured pillars which contain the tubes of
the roof's drainage. the green roof advantages the retention of the
rain water.
the building's integration in its surroundings was done in a way that
both the development (traffic) and the supermarket's visibility satisfy
the respective requirements.
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