Headquarters Helvetas

The 19th-century industrial building is characterized in particular by its triangular floor plan and generous, open spaces. The aim was to preserve and strengthen these spatial qualities in the design of Helvetas’ new headquarters. The installation of an additional central staircase creates a second access route while also serving as a lightwell, allowing daylight from the skylights to penetrate to the middle floor. The conversion includes the planning of workplaces on the two upper floors, as well as the fair-trade store and common spaces, such as meeting rooms and cafeteria on the first floor. The flexibly expandable workstations on the upper floors are oriented along the façade, while round “workshelters” in the central zone form places of retreat for concentrated work and create a warm contrast to the neutrally designed peripheral area. All interventions are designed to express the spatial and atmospheric quality of the building more strongly. The focus lies not on the clear separation of old and new, but on the fusion of old building fabric and new interventions.

Phasing

Competition | 2005
Planning | 2005
Realisation | 2006

Client

Helvetas

Architecture 

HILDEBRAND
Ursula Kaspar

Planning

Construction Management | Stefan Schäppi, Bauleitungen für Architektur
Landscape Architecture | Hüsler & Associés Sàrl
Structural Engineering | INGPHI-Ingénieurs
HVAC Engineering | Rigot+Rieben engineering
Traffic Planning | TRANSITEC Ingénieurs-Conseils
Construction Economics | IEC

Key Data

Procedure | Invited Competition
Award | 1st Prize
Surface | 1’230 m² GFA
Budget | 1.9 M CHF

Photography

Andrea Rist