City of Zug, 01.10.2019

The Metalli living space is important to the population

Zug Estates wants to redesign their real estate in the centre of Zug: an exchange of views with the future users is now sought.

Many shoppers will have noticed the exhibition that has been in the Metalli shopping arcade for the last two weeks: with information on the historical development of the area and the bulletin board with the yellow notes on how the "Metalli living space" (Lebensraum Metalli) should develop. This area includes today's Metalli shopping centre, with its apartments and business premises, the various squares in front of and between the buildings, and the ‘Bergli’ area with the Parkhotel and the Residence Park. The landowner, Zug Estates, wants to "massively remodel" this space in the next few years, and thereby align it with the overall development of Zug to meet future needs and opportunities.

As part of a competition, three teams of architects, urban builders and open space designers are now drafting concepts for the design. The wishes of the population should also be incorporated, and the exhibition was the prelude to this dialogue. Hundreds of interested parties and passers-by took the opportunity to engage in discussions with project managers, and more than a thousand stickers on the wall were filled in with ideas, which could also be submitted via the "lebensraum-metalli.ch” website.

“Our expectations were more than fulfilled. Many people even came to Metalli at the announced times to meet us and share their ideas, "says Florian Diener, Project Manager of Lebensraum Metalli. The message from this first round is that the Metalli should increasingly become a meeting area, with a high quality of stay, even outside shop hours, with room for gastronomy, events, cultural attractions and an atmosphere that invites you to linger.

Which ideas surprised the planners in particular? "There were, of course, numerous individual ideas, ranging from the infinity pool on the roof to architectural highlights of a famous architect," said Diener. But, most of all, I was surprised by the self-evident way in which people could imagine that the Metalli area would develop into a kind of multifunctional town square and meeting place.
From the point of view of design, more intensive green areas were desired, as well as the fact that one or the other element of today's architecture should remain recognizable. The maintenance of the open networking with regard to the railway station and the neighbouring city areas was also considered essential.

Concerns were also expressed, of course. The traffic routing around the district requires special consideration, as well as the issue of noise emissions of future usage or the ecologically compatible design of the buildings. Housing for the socially weaker class should also be planned. Younger discussion partners would often point out that the future supply mix should increasingly include attractions for their generation. "Concretely, some younger, somewhat cheaper fashion labels or certain food suppliers were mentioned, which, in many cities, are currently seen as trendy meeting places for young people," explains project leader Diener.

The project teams now have the task of taking account of the various wishes expressed in their study. An indicative project will be prepared from the winning project by mid-2020.