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Villa Rainhof Botanical Institute Zurich
location: Zürich, Switzerland
client: Hochbaudepartement Stadt Zürich
status: Project
project: 2005
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The Villa Rainhof, in its typological design, draws parallels to the architectural layout of the Villa Forni-Cerato from 1542 by Palladio and Semper's design for the Villa Aufdermaur in Brunnen from 1862.

The proposal for a botanical institute housed in this neoclassical estate sought to improve and redefine its spatial framework. Its original ambiguities in layouts and convoluted spatial divisions, its staircase and side main entrance, and mid-century renovations are all streamlined. All functional interventions were centered into the median spatial strip, as required by the repurposing, resulting in a sustainable and flexible sequence of spaces that emerge around a newly liberated core.

Connecting each floor, the revamped staircase acts as a structural spine, paired with a glass elevator decorated with delicate tendrils. The staircase, leading all the way up to a panoramic rooftop terrace, becomes a conduit for light, drawing it into the building. The attic, marked by its intricate mansard-style design, is substituted by meeting rooms. Skylights flood the rooms with top-down illumination to allow for a studio-like ambiance. Meanwhile, the basement offers a canvas for flexible functionalities.

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facts
commission: Competition
program: Conversion, Office
team: Annette Spillmann, Harald Echsle
collaboration: Franz Staffelbach; Andreas Meier
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