Holzer Kobler Architekturen
Ankerstrasse 3
CH- 8004 Zürich
T +41 44 240 52 00
F +41 44 240 52 02
Köpenicker Str. 48/49
D- 10179 Berlin
T +49 30 246 28 17 - 0
F +49 30 246 28 17 - 29
Expo.02, the sixth Swiss National Exhibition, took place over a six-month period at five locations in the bilingual Three Lakes region.
The Arteplages at Biel, Murten, Neuchâtel and Yverdon-les-Bains and the mobile Arteplage in the Jura region showcased, defined and examined contemporary Switzerland via topics both specific and universal.
Hundreds of meters high, where the air grows thinner and the heart beats faster, is a place of senses, fragrances and views – the BarRouge.
Panoramas were the mass media of the 19th century. Forerunners to cinema, they surround viewers and place them right at the centre of the depicted scene.
The Bourbaki Panorama in Lucerne is housed in a purpose-built circular building opened in 1889 and accompanied by a permanent exhibition detailing its history and importance.
The city of Zurich has set itself an ambitious goal: to cut the current annual energy consumption of 6300 watts per person in half by 2050, and then to reduce it even further to 2000 watts by 2150. The exhibition Building for the 2000-Watt-Society shows the current state of debate on sustainable construction, as building structures currently account for over 40 percent of our energy consumption.
The site of the former salami factory Cattaneo in the heart of Dietikon has been turned into an urban environment for living and working. It integrates the historic character of the location and its cosmopolitan outlook and represents the development of Dietikon from a village to a city in the larger context of Zurich.
Visitors exiting Zurich train station to the north suddenly find themselves standing in front of a picturesque castle. This structure was completed in 1897 as the National Museum. The historic building cites a range of styles from the Swiss architectural tradition. When it was restored by Christ & Gantenbein, the opportunity was taken to revamp the permanent exhibitions as well.
This commercial building on Eichstrasse in the prosperous southern section of Zurich was erected in the 1950s and was at the time awarded the distinction of “Good building of the city of Zurich”. The project for the conversion of the structure into a multi-functional complex with residential, office and commercial space embodies the need for new urban living spaces.
The exhibition “focusTerra” presents the mineralogical and geological collection of the Department of Earth Sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. The content and design link the collection to contemporary research and mediate between the university and the general public.
The exhibition is housed in the brightly lit courtyard of a recently restored historic building.
What is home? It is the lush fields, the forests, the hills. It is the creaky staircase. Home is where I live. It is the language that we speak together. We all define home differently. It is not something that objectively exists – we invent it anew every day.
Roughly half of all high-rise buildings were built after the start of the 21st century. This construction boom has made the high-rise an influential part of what is today’s most important collective world – the city. The scenography plays on the desire of modern high-rise cities to create an unmistakable skyline.
The INSIDE retail and office centre is set to become a key new attraction of Volketswil’s commercial district. The design of the elegantly curved five-storey construction takes up the theme of fashion and sets the tone for the urban landscape with an impact that extends beyond the region.
Renovation and conversion of the Cinema Rex within the building complex of Puls Thun, Rex Thun.
“Our ornamental work has always been based on the fir tree (in French: sapin). If you look at the tree as a whole or in detail in its different phases of development, you find an inexhaustible source of ornamental inspiration. The silver thistle, the gentian as well as the entire fauna of the Jura Mountains provide boundless additional material.” From the report of the Commission de L’École d’Art, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 1911
The rumour mill always works overtime; and the exhibition Rumour is devoted to this fascinating and fleeting phenomenon. We created a colourful and atmospheric setting for the show.
Rising like an exclamation mark to the west of Dietikon town centre, the tower block known as the RWD-Hochhaus is visible far and wide. It was constructed in 1962 as part of a modernist urban planning vision and, with its great height and form, immediately became a landmark of Dietikon and the surrounding area. More than 40 years later, we were commissioned to renovate it.
“I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hack’d. Give me my armor.” William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Weapons threaten, weapons kill, weapons protect, weapons fascinate. The exhibition examines strategy, attack and protection.
National exhibitions serve to define a location: What has been achieved, where are we headed, what do we wish for the future? In a country that is often perceived as content, what do the inhabitants actually wish for? What are their hearts’ desires? Leading up to Expo.02 the wishes of inhabitants from all over the country were recorded in some 1000 interviews. sWISH* is an exhibition that explores the Swiss landscape of wishes.
The redesign of the permanent archaeological exhibition in the Museum of History and Ethnology provides an effective platform for the Canton of St. Gallen’s archaeology department. The extensive collection of finds is presented thematically in the historic rooms, while workstations offer visitors an insight into the working methods of modern-day archaeologists.
Are you afraid of missing something? The latest tweet, the ultimate news item? Are you contactable at all times? Are you at home in the limitless world of communication?
The “clinic for communication” will advise you and, once your check-up is complete, put together a personalised wellness package.
Wasserchloss is a residential building placed along a river bank. Apartments on four floors offer a view over the Aare river to a protected green lanscape. Balconies, terraces and gardens allow residents to enjoy this unique environment. The facades are clad in glass and metal, in reference to the sites industrial past.
The Designers’ Saturday event in Langenthal has become the most important design show in Switzerland. Four of the six exhibitions are active production locations. This extraordinary backdrop of manufacturing sites strives the Designers’ Saturday to offer industry professionals new experiences and visions.
The water fittings manufacturer arwa, which first joined Designers’ Saturday in 2004, commissioned us to design its three displays
In 2000, New York architect Daniel Libeskind won the architectural competition to design a leisure and shopping centre in Bern-Brünnen. Barbara Holzer was responsible for overall architectural management right through to the centre’s opening in 2008.
