Swiss National Museum Collection Centre, Affoltern am Albis
completed
Eidgenössisches Finanzdepartement, Bundesamt für Bauten und Logistik, Bern

Conversion and renovation
Architecture, general management Planning 2003-2006 / Construction 2005-2007

The three existing arsenal halls and their courtyards now form a standalone complex with a new function. It houses an object centre for storing the collection, plus conservation and restoration studios, a material analysis laboratory and a service centre. The structures are linked via a corridor that simultaneously encloses the complex. The untreated steel plates in the new façade signal the change of purpose. In the object centre, a jagged joint represents the topographical altitude profile along the Swiss border. This joint, which is an integral structural element, symbolises the wealth of Swiss culture contained within the building.