Escher-Wyss-Platz
The Escher-Wyss-Platz is located in the Escher-Wyss-Quartier of the city district 5 of the city of Zurich . It is one of the most important transport hubs and transfer points for public transport in the district.
history
The name of the square comes from the Escher Wyss machine works , which was built next to this square from 1892 to 1895 and opened in 1896. The Escher-Wyss-Platz developed from the intersection of Limmatstrasse / Hardturmstrasse and Hardstrasse.
When the Hardbrücke was built in the early 1970s, the square was given a completely new look. Since then, the Hardbrücke has formed a ceiling over the square. In addition, the square received a pedestrian underpass.
For the design of the square, Zumiker artist Annemie Fontana made a fountain with the orange fountain sculpture " Sirius " made of polyester . The construction of the well was controversial as there were prejudices against the material. The authorities worried about the durability and disposability of the sculpture. It was also believed that the weather made the colors unsightly. This led to the relatively long delay from planning in 1969 to installation in 1972. Since the square has been under construction since September 9, 2008, the fountain sculpture was removed on March 18, 2009.
traffic
Until the redesign in 2008/2009, private transport was carried out as a roundabout around the square. The Hardbrücke has driveways and exits at the square. On the Hardbrücke the two trolleybus routes 33 and 72 run in both directions. Since December 2011, the tracks have branched off from Limmatstrasse in the direction of Werdhölzli (tram 17), Altstetten station (tram 4) and towards Frankental (tram 13). At Escher-Wyss-Platz there is also the Hard Tram Depot, built in 1911 according to plans by city architect Friedrich Fissler , which is part of the municipal inventory of buildings worthy of protection and is the third largest of the five depot facilities of the Zurich Transport Authority that are still active .
Pedestrian underpass
There was a pedestrian underpass with six entrances under Escher-Wyss-Platz. Two entrances could be reached through the ascents and descents in the middle of the square, which also led to the trolleybus stops on the Hardbrücke. There were four side entrances on the sidewalks of Hardstrasse, two of them on the north-east and south-west side of the square.
The underpass was evidently not suitable, as Escher-Wyss-Platz is very easy to reach by pedestrian crossing. The underpass was therefore closed very early and the south-western entrances were leveled. The pedestrian underpass has been used for cultural purposes since the 1980s. Some art exhibitions and dance events took place there.
Redesign
Due to the construction work on the new Tram Zurich West tram route , the entire Escher-Wyss-Platz was redesigned. Individual traffic now runs over the northwest of the square. There is no roundabout and is therefore better accessible for pedestrians. At the previous tram stop with the “Sirius” fountain by Annemie Fontana, the tram tracks now cross. The tram stop was definitely moved to Limmatstrasse on April 7th. New entrances were built for the trolleybuses on the Hardbrücke. There are now small stair towers and lift towers further outside, which lead to the trolleybus stops via pedestrian bridges located diagonally to the Hardbrücke. In the south-east of the square, a larger contiguous area is being created through which the active, standard-gauge siding of the Coop mill (“Swissmill”) runs.
Nail house
The design of the square was largely determined in a design competition at the end of 2007, and the jury requested that Caruso St John Architects LLP (London) and Studio Thomas Demand (Berlin) continue to work on the “ Nagelhaus ” project . The “nail house” should have been a 5.9 million franc replica of a building in the Chinese city of Chongqing . The press photo of this building went around the world because its owners refused to have it demolished for a new mall to be built. The building should have given the impression that it already existed before the Hardbrücke was built and that it should not have given way to this construction. The building was to house a kiosk with a toilet and a small restaurant that reached up to the Hardbrücke. The opening was planned for 2012. The project failed with the Zurich electorate after the SVP held the referendum against it, with 51.3% rejection on September 26, 2010. Opponents found the project too expensive and that it had too little to do with the city of Zurich. The proponents found the project difficult to convey to the people of Zurich.
Impressions
Before the redesign
Escher-Wyss-Platz at night
Escher-Wyss-Platz at night
Escher-Wyss-Platz at night
Escher-Wyss-Platz by day with the "Sirius" fountain
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Fritz Billeter, Annemie Fontana , ABC-Verlag, Zurich, 1996, ISBN 3-85504-160-1
- ^ Building Department of the City of Zurich, Office for Urban Development: Aussersihl, Industry / Zurich West . Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung , Zurich 2004 (Baukultur in Zurich, Volume III), ISBN 3-03823-072-3
- ↑ Zurich City Council , GR No. 2006/185
- ↑ Tages Anzeiger, Jürg Rohrer: China House on Escher-Wyss-Platz costs 6 million , July 9, 2009
- ↑ FAZ of September 23, 2010, page 31: Can a referendum prevent art?
- ↑ Philipp Albrecht, Simon Eppenberger: Narrow No to Nagelhaus: “Campaign hit the nail on the head” , Tages-Anzeiger, September 26, 2010
Coordinates: 47 ° 23 '27 " N , 8 ° 31' 21" E ; CH1903: 681,833 / 249449