Cocoon, Zurich, Switzerland

Cocoon is located in Zurich's Seefeld district on a beautiful hillside, which enjoys excellent lake and mountain views. The location's distinctive flair stems from the exceptional park-like setting – a green oasis into which Cocoon snugly nestles.

Flanked on three sides by trees the elliptical structure reads as a freestanding sculptural volume that gracefully spirals up from the park. The stainless steel mesh enveloping the building combines visual privacy with restrained elegance, while establishing a strong and unmistakable presence.

Cocoon concept

The bold stand-alone building embodies an innovative conception of interior spatial organisation and interaction with the surrounding environment. In doing so, it caters for a wide variety of workplace and occupancy concepts. With its spiral massing, Cocoon may be conceived as a sort of 'communication landscape' that creates a unique spatial configuration and working environment in a matchless setting.

The stepped, upward-winding sequence of segments also shapes the character of the building interior. All spaces are arranged along a gently rising ramp, which wraps around a central, light-flooded atrium. The space planning concept dispenses with the traditional division into horizontal storeys in favour of a seemingly endless sequence of elliptical floor segments. By eliminating the usual barriers to communication, this generates a unique spatial experience and working environment that unlocks a host of intriguing possibilities for interaction and cooperation. The floorspace design allows fully flexible partitioning together with the adaptability necessary to meet the shifting needs of future users.

Spiral centrepiece

Internally, a light-flooded, upwardly widening atrium forms the centrepiece of Cocoon. Around this, the circulation and communication ramp winds its way upwards in gently curving contours, to provide a fluid link between all the internal spaces. Internally, as the ellipses expand with each turn of the spiral, the skylight void opens up in a stunning spectacle. The dramatic atrium, with its wealth of internal visual links, generates a natural ambience conducive to communication and a sense of community.

The façade assembly consciously adds a note of subtlety and sophistication to the overall composition. The building is wrapped in a fine, almost scaly veil of stainless steel wire mesh. This curtain curls elegantly upwards in soft lines along the expanding spiral, its junction with the roof terrace accentuated by an open façade frame.

The shrouded, sculptural stand-alone building, introverted during the daytime as it looks inwards towards the atrium, is recast in the evening hours as a transparent shining beacon.

Cocoon uses an air-source heat pump system for environmentally friendly heating and cooling.