Stapferhaus Lenzburg Competition

The so-called Stapferhaus Lenzburg» has made a name for itself beyond borders with socio-cultural theme exhibitions on the present. In the medium term, however, the institution has no permanent premises available. The "Haus der Gegenwart" is therefore to be built at the railway station and thus in a prestigious location, a place that can be used flexibly and will provide the Stapferhaus with a permanent address in the future.  

The building, which is oriented on all sides, takes up the various urban references and orientations on Bahnhofstrasse and transforms the heterogeneously grown station area into an attractive public space. In addition, a generous forecourt creates the space needed to create an appropriate appearance opposite the station. With its clearly legible structure, the three-storey gabled roof volume refers to the organisation of the interior spaces: While the fully glazed ground floor opens up to the outside to the maximum extent, the transparency of the dark glazed cedar wood façade promises a lot without revealing too much of the interior.  

The modular interior, which can be flexibly organised, contrasts with the concise external appearance of the symmetrically structured solitary body. By means of demountable ceiling modules, each exhibition can be individually developed in its own space. On the upper floors, a fixed ceiling wreath encloses the movable ceiling panels, which can be freely adjusted in height by means of a permanently mounted chain hoist. The ground floor, however, is used for multifunctional purposes - as a space for smaller individual exhibitions and large-scale installations or as an open lounge and extension of the art education rooms.