Architectural Design V-IX: Existence: Swissmill (A. Brandlhuber)

Abstract

“Architecture is a temporary answer to a temporary need.” reads the plaque at the foot of the tower. Few people know the inscription, which is surprising, since every stone of the Swissmill tower has been a topic for debate since its construction in 2016. Since then, the project has been the subject of as much controversy as of myths and conspiracies.

Objective

Prefigurative Architecting: The ability to think in different scales and systems, in order to determine issues and themes by observing the changing conditions of our environment. The aim is to develop an architectural position in relation to these observations and to translate it into a viable and sustainable proposal for the future of our coexistence. Storytelling and Narrative-Design: The ability to translate factual knowledge about architecture and architectural systems into a story. These narratives function in parallel and offer other ways and speeds of communicating the design arguments besides the factual approach. In addition to time-based media such as film and episodic video formats which we call television, we will be developing additional formats with the students from this semester on. Both learning objectives will be introduced in topic-specific lectures at the beginning of the course.

Content

“Architecture is a temporary answer to a temporary need.” reads the plaque at the foot of the tower. Few people know the inscription, which is surprising, since every stone of the Swissmill tower has been a topic for debate since its construction in 2016. Since then, the project has been the subject of as much controversy as of myths and conspiracies. If you ask the residents of Zurich to- day what the windowless tower is all about, you will hear different stories. Politics of fear. Architecture of crisis. Politics of precaution. Architecture for the future. What these stories teach us is that history is subjective, and we decide which narrative we choose in order not only to understand the present, but also to anticipate the future and open it up for imagination. What if the rumors are true and the tower is not primarily to secure supply in times of crisis, but pursues a different goal? What if the tower has already inscribed its future use and the answers to future crises, between ecological and economic, have already been built in, carrying its history and narrative from the future retroactively within itself? Between Fact and Fiction: Switzerland has a long tradition of preparing itself for crises. Thus, one could say that the Swissmill tower is one of many architectures and infrastructures for potential emergencies, based on past and current concerns, such as the scarcity of food for the Swiss population. In order to guarantee the supply of grain for a wider Zurich population, the silo tower shall officially serve as a long-term storage facility. The biggest bank in Zurich, one could say. Swissmill processes 800 tons of grain a day, equaling 30% of the Swiss national grain requirements. Located in the center of Zurich, its 118 meter high concrete tower serves as a grain elevator and is the tallest of its kind worldwide. Every morning, around 1.000 tons of grain are delivered, equaling four wagons of packed flour and multiple wagons of bran pellets. The almost hollow volume houses 48 square cells along the newly built perimeter walls that can store up to 40.000 tons. The tower was built on top of the original Kornhaus, more precisely over it, bringing the gigantic loads into the pile foundations. Due to its presence and appearance the Swissmill tower has triggered an ongoing debate on the construction of high-rises in Zurich, bringing together social, ecological and economic aspects. From the need of housing, over the environmental consequences of construction, to the speculative potential of investment. A heated debate that finds its continuation in the new high-rise regulation that shall be implemented in Zurich and would allow for unlimited high-rise construction within the city. Thanks to the Swissmill tower, one could say. Architecting Hidden Futures: Consequently, rumors persist that the process leading up to the construction of the building was an orchestrated act, aimed at architecting the conflicting interests of a growing Zurich population. Therefore, an alternative future use was inscribed in the building. In order to get permission, the owners – Swiss wholesale company Coop – had to follow a new regulation which states (excerpt): §4; Abs. 2: “[...] consequently the permission shall be deemed under the condition, that a future use for the common good [...] must be inscribed in the building [...] as the demolition of any built structure won’t be allowed by 2029 [...]” Beyond its present function as a silo and grain tower, the building was always meant to play different roles: as a social moderator, an ecologic case study, an economic value generator, a political design tool. The tower is therefore only one concrete manifestation of a series of topics: bigger in scale and importance, then the architectural object or local manifestation.

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