Utku Coskun

The former ‘Neue Börse’ building overpowering the Sihl seems to be struggling with its massive size and shape ever since it came into being. By the time it was ready for its original use as a stock exchange, it was already obsolete. Since then, many uses and tenants have come and gone, pushing for multiple adaptations. In spite of this, the ‘Neue Borse’ never truly managed to catch up with itself and find a way to be ‘in shape’. This master thesis departs from the premise that a building with this amount of embedded energy should not be demolished and proposes, as an act of provocation, to list it. A series of spatial interventions approach its vacancy, scale and ineptitude as an asset. Uses that have a hard time to find space in the centre and are often being displaced — such as the nearby Haus Konstruktiv or workspaces for artists and creatives — are introduced alongside ‘stable’ programmes such as housing. Together with the current language school facilities this generates more density and mixity. This transforms the 'stranded ship' along the Sihl into an ‘Arc of Noah’ in which multiple uses and users co-exist, with the building finally taking full advantage of its scale.