HEALTH AND SPA

Dear Readers,

as you take your first look at our November issue on the topic of health and wellness, young patients, doctors and nursing staff at the Zurich Children’s Hospital are now moving into their new premises (from p. 80) in Zurich-Lengg. The move from the former location in Hottingen began on November 2 and has been followed closely and with a sense of pride by the Swiss public. None other than architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron took on the project and executed it with their usual meticulousness and perfection. One could almost feel envious: children’s hospitals in Germany receive far less attention and investment. The
new building cost the Canton of Zurich 760 million francs. In return, they got several HdM stair sculptures, similar to those found at the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, renovated by Herzog & de Meuron in 2015 (see image above). Additionally, we show practices (from p. 68), hospitals (from p. 84), indoor swimming pools
(from p. 92) and sports halls (from p. 106) – all of them outstandingly designed examples fitting perfectly with the issue’s theme. Our graphic divider pages (pp. 8/9, 34/35 and 48/49) complement this beautifully, presenting three remarkable works by the GDR artist Jürgen Wittdorf (1932–2018), whose estate was recently
exhibited for the first time in “West Germany” at the Galerie Sammlung Amann in Stuttgart. Since 2023, Karl Amann, in addition to running his firm no w here architekten, has operated the gallery, demonstrating a refined and broad artistic sensibility through his exhibition themes. For the private closing event, he invited Studio Bovti (image on the right): Inna Strokus studied architecture, Marius Schwald interior design, and together with their artisan friends, they design and build furniture (see p. 57) and luminaires far from the mainstream. Our AIT columnists are also far from the ordinary: Dominik Reding feels unwell after his morning doctor’s appointment, old during a visit to a nursing home, but young again in “Before Sunset” (from p. 50). It’s amazing what swimming pools can do! Stay fit and healthy this fall!

Best wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect