Not a house that fulfils dreams
Drum roll on Monday in Winterthur. Nine years after winning the competition, the consortium Gunz & Künzle Architects / Miebach Oberholzer Architekten GmbH and Ghisleni Partner AG inaugurated the new Winterthur district facility on Monday. The presence of Justice Director Jacqueline Fehr, Construction Director Martin Neukom and Marius Weyermann, Commander of the Zurich Cantonal Police, at the handover of the keys emphasised the significance of the occasion. With the expanded and renovated district facility, the second-largest region in the canton of Zurich will have a modern regional centre for law enforcement. The new building includes rooms for the public prosecutor’s office and juvenile prosecutor’s office, as well as a prison for pre-trial detention with increased capacity. With a view to its use as a correctional facility, architect Michael Künzle summarised: “The district facility is not a building that fulfils dreams, but architecture can still offer added value.”
Government Councillor Jaqueline Fehr also recognises this, praising the bright, open building. While openness prevails on the inside, the shell offers the necessary security on the outside. The structural and façade planners at Lüchinger+Meyer, who have supported the realisation of the reinforced concrete building to Minergie standard and the accompanying maintenance projects since the competition win, also worked to achieve these qualities – the spacious, light interior and the functional, secure building envelope. In conclusion, we gladly agree with Martin Neukom: “The new building has turned out well”.
Photos: Sven Högger (building), Fabian Guggenbühl (event)
