Löwengarten area
Löwengartenareal, 9400 Rorschach
Competition, 1st Prize 2010
2016–2021
UZE AG; Rosenberg Invest AG
Pauli Stricker GmbH, St.Gallen
Wälli AG Ingenieure, St.Gallen
Kempter + Partner AG, St.Gallen
Lukas Murer
When the Löwengarten brewery closed after 135 years, the site lost
its former purpose. The new development picks up on the history of the
site with a dense, mixed-use development which once again makes it a
significant place
The plot is spanned by St. Gallerstrasse and Löwengartenstrasse and
is characterised by the sloping topography to the north. Together with
the former bottling plant, which is a listed building, the two linear
buildings define a public square. This urban space was already present
in the old structure and should continue to serve as an urban
identification point. More
On the west side, a higher, compact building completes the
development. To the south, the new buildings create a semi-public
outdoor space for residential use. In front of the southern linear
building is a low structure with terraced single-family houses. The new
buildings fit into the surroundings in their volumes and heights and
respect the former bottling plant.
The transformed area is characterised by a variety of uses consisting
of retail, services, office, gastronomy and rented apartments. On the
ground floor, freely subdividable retail spaces, several smaller shops
and a restaurant are planned in the existing building. The service and
office areas are located on the mezzanine floor and the first floor. The
residential units are located on the other upper floors. These are
oriented on two sides and benefit from both the sunlight from the south
and the attractive lake view to the north.
The new buildings on the Löwengarten site carry on the spirit of the
former brewery. On the urban planning level, this is achieved by setting
the volumes in strong relation to the existing industrial plant. In the
facades, references are made to the existing building at the material
and form of openings. Despite its size, the old brewery had an
expression of small, upright elements. This tension between vertical and
horizontal expressive elements, some with a high proportion of walls,
strongly characterises the expression of the new buildings.
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