Fire & earth — Solothurn, Switzerland

The Rossallmend project is located in a transitional urban condition, where residual fragments remain in this undefined interstitial zone between the city and the suburbs. On the site, there is a small field, a few allotment gardens, and a forgotten open storage area. All three are enclosed by a busy traffic junction, a railway line to the south, and its bypass to the northeast. Within this infrastructural network, Rossallmend struggles to exist as anything other than a peripheral zone. It is therefore essential for this proposal to rethink the role of the program within the urban fabric. The key question is: how can an energy center, a fire station, and a municipal depot be designed as public figures that anchor Rossallmend within the city?

The energy plant takes the form of a sculptural volume at the corner of the site. A reference point that protects the allotment gardens to the west and is intended to become an icon of the new development. In a second phase, a boundary wall is constructed along the railway line, forming a visual barrier that protects the site and establishes the basis for the outdoor program. Along this edge, the fire station is placed as a compact structure in dialogue with the sculptural volume of the energy center. Both remain on the eastern side of the site in order to preserve the lifespan of the allotment gardens for as long as possible. Finally, the municipal depot volume is placed in extension of the fire station to complete this compact linear form.

The merging of these three programs creates an additional open green space oriented toward the city while remaining protected from the traffic junction and railway lines. This new park aims to preserve existing trees and maintain the memory of the allotment gardens by introducing a form of urban agriculture. The energy center is not hidden but proudly expressed as an essential driver of urban development. The main logistical circulation is located below, between the railway and behind the new linear volume. The proposal thus succeeds in reversing the site’s boundary condition by giving the three logistical programs a public character. The existing allotment gardens are preserved for as long as possible, while an open green space oriented toward the residential area is created, strengthening the social relevance of the program. The boundary zone suddenly becomes ready to host urban life.

In collaboration with Atelier Neume und Riggenbach Landschaft.