Lightcube, Glattpark Opfikon
This office building marks the start of the new Glattpark development in the north-east. The deep rooms in this complex volume are lit from a large internal courtyard, an “empty space” that is understood as a spatial volume and forms the core of the entire complex.
In Opfikon, directly on the boundary to the city of Zurich, on an area of around 670 000 square metres space is being created for 7000 residents and the same number of workplaces. The new building marks the start of the north-eastern part of this development. From the geometry of the plot and its place in the urban design a building form was derived with sides that are not parallel.
Because of the complex geometry and the aim to combine light from above and from the sides, an internal courtyard was made that has four “protrusions” several storeys high that penetrate the surrounding layer of offices and extend to the facade. These internal terraces offer more than just contact to the world outside: they house various open spaces primarily of benefit to the users of the building – like hanging gardens they offer quiet areas as well as zones for communication.
The internal organization is clear and simple, with three defined core zones that face onto the courtyard (vertical circulation, sanitary zones, building services). Thanks to their depth the office layers allow a high degree of flexibility in choosing between cellular office, combined office, and open plan.
This project is from the Leuner & Zampieri era (1990–2000).
Site plan
Ground floor
Typical floor
Section
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