Swiss TPH

Urban Planning The location for the new Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (TPH) building on Hegenheimermattweg is part of a sequence of large-scale structures. Positioned at the corner, TPH assumes a significant role as the gateway to the new development area, BaseLink. To shape the building's volume, we utilized the cut corners dictated by the building line and methodically repeated this gesture on the rear side of the structure. The set-back facade designates the main entrances at the front and back of the building, extending centrally to the side entrances of the structure. Parking spaces and some bicycle racks are located in covered areas, easily accessible to all vehicle users. We intentionally placed green areas near the respective entrances, visually uniting BaseLink's planned green space, the Bachgraben sports facilities, and TPH.

Enfilade / Ground Floor The main entrance from Hegenheimermattweg leads through a generously designed staircase to the recessed entrance on the ground floor. The cantilevered structure and trapezoidal soffit emphasize the corner situation. The centrally located foyer is immediately inside the main entrance, serving as a meeting point that invites visitors to linger. Simultaneously, it provides smooth and swift access to training rooms, the library, and private areas. The Room of Cultures, positioned along Hegenheimermattweg, aims to offer passersby a glimpse into TPH's work through exhibitions. The central internal "street" / enfilade guides employees and students through the entire building, fostering permeability within the ground floor. The enfilade, featuring communication areas, library access, mail services, pin boards, ATMs, and the entrance to the restaurant/café along the central axis, can be perceived as an extended urban space. The restaurant was deliberately placed at the rear of the building, establishing a direct connection and opening the building to BaseLink's green space.

Access Routes / Connections Vertical primary access for individuals is facilitated through laterally positioned cores. One of the two elevators at the main entrance directly connects the Medical Research Department to the ground floor. A spacious spiral staircase leads from the foyer directly to the seminar rooms in the basement. The central location near the main entrance allows for quick and efficient flow of people. The core next to the delivery area is equipped with a goods lift and tray storage, in addition to serving as a fire escape. Positioned in the middle of the building, it ensures short distances to all laboratory areas and can be loaded directly. Between the 2 laboratory floors on the 1st and 2nd floors, smaller spiral staircases are located on each short side of the building. These allow direct vertical connection between the laboratory floors while serving as communication areas. In the office floors on the 3rd and 4th floors, the short connections are designed to ideally connect the respective departments and uses. Communication areas are located immediately around the access points in these floors as well. This measure provides the building with a certain permeability despite its internal density, connecting the programmatic elements and establishing a network of spatial relationships.

Facade / Lighting Guided by the idea of a tropical forest, we chose a facade structure that emphasizes verticality and abstracts bamboo and trees. The pilaster-like, angled concrete elements and "leaf-shaped" triangulated supports on the ground floor follow the internal grid of the structure. The window layout mirrors the laboratories' and offices' grid, giving the large volume a lighter appearance. The triangulated supports on the ground floor change direction depending on the facade position, resembling tree structures and bamboo abstractions. Where the facades recede, the supports run vertically, creating arcade-like passages that can be used for parking spaces, bicycle racks, and covered walkways. The large windows provide excellent transparency, supplying daylight to the access routes and workstations in the laboratories on the 1st and 2nd floors. In the 3rd and 4th floors, the two courtyards, accessible from the 3rd floor, bring ample daylight to the internal offices. Spaces like Silent Focus, which do not require direct daylight, are placed between the access points. The 4th floor features punctual skylights (Cupolux), providing additional light to the offices. The green courtyards offer employees a garden-like space to relax and facilitate communication.

2016

Switzerland

Total Area:
17,000m2

Phase:
Competition

Studio Sito Team:
Simone Schnyder, Thomasine Wolfensberger Vasiliki Nikoloutsou, Giorgia Papathanasio, Michiel Gieben