Our proposal is part of the urban plan of Rudolph Bürkli, which encourages the development of large buildings along the west shore of Lake Zürich. The new building is intended to function as the core of the whole Swiss Re complex in Mithenquai, situated in the centre of the other buildings currently occupied by Swiss Re.

Our building contains the main atrium from which emerge the various connections to the other buildings in the complex from a single point of access control. The lower levels include fluid shapes generated from the circulation routes between the various buildings. All this is in contraposition to the categorical and canonical nature of a building that is clearly symmetric. All the common uses are located around this distribution space, from the auditorium to the meeting rooms and the recreation areas for staff. The large lobby, transparent in the east-west direction, full of activity and concentrating all the routes of circulation, is located in the centre of the complex, with the aim of promoting the understanding that the access is not for a single building, but rather a group of buildings.

A compact building like this is a good starting point: a large volume contained within a reduced surface guarantees low energy exchange with the exterior. The lighting and ventilation problems arising from this situation are addressed by means of three circular courtyards. The courtyards, whose climatic conditions can be easily controlled, provide unity to the three floors of offices. The open spaces, meeting and recreation areas are located around the courtyards, while the other offices adopt a more systematic design, trying to achieve the placement of the greatest number of workspaces as possible near the facades.

Finally, this east-west axis that defines the whole project appears once again strongly highlighted on the upper floors, which require specific spaces for areas occupied by the Board of Directors. Below the roof, responsible for the overall silhouette of the building, the volume opens towards the lake. Terraces are created between the exceptional spaces of the restaurant and the boardroom.