Project of the administrative building in Zurich by Santiago Calatrava

The expansion of the Stadelhofen railway station from 1990 ranks among Santiago Calatrava's most successful projects in terms of blending with the surrounding environment. While other Calatrava creations flaunt their scale and bright white color, in the case of the small station on the eastern shore of Lake Zurich, all the soberly dimensioned structures are tuned to dark tones and have pleasantly merged with the environment over the past thirty years.
In recent days, Santiago Calatrava unveiled a project for a five-story administrative building for the insurance company Axa Winterthur, which is set to replace the historic building in close proximity to the Stadelhofen train platform. The facade of the new administrative building adopts a similar ribbing that Calatrava used thirty years ago for the roofing of the platforms. However, implementation is hindered by the presence of a historic building on the site housing the renowned Mandarin café, which was listed as a historic monument two years ago. Removal is now possible if Calatrava can demonstrate public interest and potential improvements to the traffic situation. The investor also had to commit to building a three-story underground parking facility for one thousand bicycles. Approval for the construction will be decided no earlier than 2018.