Shopping Center Schönbühl

Schönbühl, the first shopping center in Switzerland was built in 1967 by Alfred Roth at the same time as Alvar Aalto’s Schönbühl building. Holzer Kobler Architekturen, which undertook the redesign of the shopping center, focused especially on the visitor’s flow as well as the redesign of the interior. The main architectural and design changes occur at the main entrance and in the central atrium.

At the main entrance, the protruding roof helps create a concise urban space. The wide edge of the roof curves down to create a funnel-shaped volume which draws visitors into the building. The underside of the roof’s ceiling is covered with an angled metal mesh, so that its yellow color is not revealed until the visitor exits the building.

The redesign of the interior optimizes the qualitiy of the shoppers’ visit. The intense color scheme, the careful choice of materials and in particular the bright daylight which now reaches the lower floors of the center: These changes create a pleasant shopping experience in a contemporary and appealing environment.

The transparent balustrade made of protruding glass pannels around the atrium along with the continuous, linear light strip over the glass store fronts and the homogenous flooring accentuate the new generous profile of the shopping center.

The visitor’s flow has been optimized through the redesigned, organic shape of the atrium, along with the two large completely metallic lifts and the new stairway at the entrance of the parking lot.