Nagelhaus

In collaboration with Thomas Demand Zurich, Switzerland 2007–2010

Client: Stadt Zurich Competition, first prize

This project, in collaboration with the artist Thomas Demand, was the winner of a competition for a major public art commission in the City of Zurich. The site is located at Escher Wyss Platz, an important and unusually messy part of the city’s transport infrastructure. The project coincided with the restoration of the 1960s Hardbrücke road viaduct and the construction of a new tram line. Escher Wyss Platz is a former industrial area undergoing dramatic transformation, with substantial new commercial developments, cultural institutions, and residential buildings.

Site plan

Elevations of Escher Wyss Platz

South east elevation

South west elevation

North west elevation

Ground floor plan

Gallery floor plan

Chongqing, China, 2007

Annie Hall, Woody Allen, 1977

Posters for and against the Nagelhaus project

Exhibition

Thomas Demand: House of Card

Museum Leuven

19 October 2020 – 18 April 2021

mleuven.be

M Leuven presents a major retrospective of the work of the artist Thomas Demand, featuring two works made by the artist in collaboration with Caruso St John: The unrealised Nagelhaus and the soon to be built pavilion at the headquarters of fabric manufacturers Kvadrat in Ebeltoft, Denmark.

Project: Pavilion at Kvadrat Headquarters
Project: Nagelhaus

Location
Zurich, Switzerland

Date
2007–2010

Client
Stadt Zurich

Area
250 m²

Status
Competition, first prize; cancelled following a referendum

Collaborating artist
Thomas Demand

Caruso St John Architects
Adam Caruso, Peter St John

Project architect
Neslihan Aydogan

Project team
Pablo Donet, Adam Gielniak, Emily Keyte, Michael Schneider