The new old Maag site

Zürich, February 2022

Three more buildings are planned in the immediate vicinity of Zurich's Prime Tower: Maaglive.ch

Maaglive is a project on the Maag Areal near Zurich Hardbrücke train station. It complements the office uses that characterize the area today with attractive residential uses, cultural and gastronomic offers: "We got involved with the planning team in the preliminary project in the third quarter of 2021," says Johanna Gerum, project manager for the Maaglive project at Swiss Prime Site. “At the same time, we are developing a promising cultural vision for Maaglive together with the cultural organizer and producer Michel Pernet. Artists, representatives from the creative industries, those responsible for culture in the city of Zurich and interested interest groups from the neighborhood are involved in the use of these areas.»

The public-intensive uses distributed throughout the day enliven the Maag Areal and create a place in the middle of Zurich West where people like to spend time.

The Maaglive project consists of the residential tower, the cultural center and the future listed building K. The three buildings are arranged around a tree-lined square which, together with other green spaces, contributes to reducing the heat in Zurich West. In addition, Maaglive opens up the quarter and offers new non-motorised traffic connections. The three very different solitaire buildings should form an ensemble. In between there is a public space with a high quality of stay as the new center of the area. A pleasant microclimate can be created by planting tall trees. The coordinated uses on the ground floors will also enliven the space. The residential tower can be used flexibly, and where the noise pollution is too great, flexible work studios complement the small apartments.

"Sauerbruch Hutton implemented the guiding principles of the Swiss Prime Site for the Maaglive project most aptly," Johanna Gerum concludes: "Diversification of use: apartments, culture, gastronomy and in particular the so-called third places, which stand for future-oriented quality of use – this on the inside – like outdoor area.»

This is what the Maag Areal in Zurich should look like one day.

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