New campus at Platztor: “Building in the park” project wins competition

26 April 2021. The University of St.Gallen urgently needs more space if it is to continue fulfilling its core tasks in teaching and research at a high level of quality. To address that need, a second campus will be built in the Platztor area in the city of St.Gallen. Having concluded the architecture competition, the canton has moved on to the next step: the actual construction project. The approval procedure involving the special land use plan should be initiated in 2023. Once construction begins in 2025, the building is expected to be commissioned in 2029.

A park surrounding the building

“Building in the park,” the winning project by Zurich architect Pascal Flammer, calls for construction of a six-storey building in the Platztor area. With approximately 31,000 square meters of floor space, the new campus will meet the University of St.Gallen’s need for additional space. The winning project will create a lightweight, open impression thanks to large window areas and the use of wood. Public-oriented facilities such as the cafeteria will be oriented towards the city centre. The building will be surrounded by a spacious park, which, like the building, is open to the public.

A project with many requirements

The building will offer space for around 3,000 students, faculty and employees. Teaching and research will be combined on each of the upper floors so that students and faculty can meet and compare notes. A large auditorium with room for 400 people is planned for the two basement levels. Thanks to the surrounding park, the building shows consideration for the neighbouring district and St. Jakob-Strasse as an important traffic axis. The new building represents a substantial upgrade for the area compared to the current situation.

A challenging competition

The canton launched the architecture competition in the fall of 2019 and subsequently received 59 competition entries. None of the projects met with unqualified approval at first, a fact that the jury attributed to the exceptional challenges posed by the task. In 2020 the jury therefore decided that the three most promising submissions should be revised. The three projects were developed much further during revision.

Proposition approved by the public in 2019

The population of the canton approved a construction loan to the tune of 160 million francs back in 2019. Overall costs total 207 million francs and will be borne by the canton, the federal government (25 million francs) and the University of St.Gallen (20 million francs). The city of St.Gallen is contributing 2 million francs towards the purchase of the building plot in Platztor.

Projects on display

Anyone interested in viewing the 59 projects with models and blueprints can do so on the third floor of the main post office in St.Gallen. The exhibition will run from 27 April to 8 May. Opening hours are listed at www.hsgbaut.ch. In view of the current situation, only a limited number of people can occupy the exhibition hall at a time.

This article first appeared as a joint media release from the Canton of St.Gallen, the City of St.Gallen and the University of St.Gallen.

Visualisations: Canton of St.Gallen