Resource-saving efficiency for the new St. Gallen State Archives

The State Archives of the Canton of St. Gallen are currently spread across three locations in the city of St. Gallen and are to be concentrated at a new location in future and given more space. To this end, the Waldau Study Center of the "OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule" at Schönauweg 4 is to be converted and extended. The renewal of the existing building envelope, taking into account the heritage assessment and the requirement for exemplary treatment of Environmental Engineering, make the publicly tendered project challenging. The jury was unanimous in its decision. The winning project was the best overall solution to the task and impressed with its consistently sustainable approach and an extremely innovative proposal for the new underground magazine building.

Innovative for sustainability

The winning project PAPER LANDSCAPE aims to merge architecture with nature. This is reflected both in the transformation of the existing building and in the 5-storey, underground new construction of the magazine. The entrance area of the magazine is subtly and elegantly recognizable above ground through a vaulted earth relief. The vaulted roof that gives it its shape is realized with a material-friendly structure. A detailed life cycle assessment ensures that the sustainability targets are met. The partition walls made of clay bricks also reduce embodied energy and ensure a constant indoor climate. All of these approaches contribute to the new building's low life cycle costs and significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Exhibition for the public

All 13 projects submitted for the architectural competition are currently on display in the main post office library in St.Gallen on the 3rd floor, Gutenbergstrasse entrance. From January 9 to 19, the exhibition can be viewed Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 pm and on Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm.

To the press release of the Canton of St.Gallen

To the jury report