Regiobank Zuchwil: Drive-in or come upstairs

More modern, fresher, more dynamic – the new Regiobank branch in Zuchwil is a real head-turner with its distinguished design. The bank was built on a small plot of land. The two upper floors look like they are hovering over the ground floor, which is deliberately set back providing enough for parking spaces and the drive-in ATM. The bank’s service counter area is housed in the 1st floor, while the 2nd floor contains two apartments, each with a patio. The light metal facade underscores this impression that the two upper floors are floating. The vertical anodised metal rods in bronze clad the building in elegant veils and are reminiscent of the water authority’s building.

The extraordinary 310 square metre facade wraps around the building like a ribbon. It is made with slender vertical aluminium profiles. To neatly finish off the facade cladding and ensure that all visible sides of the posts were set at equal distances, the lower structure had to be assembled first before the elements with the aluminium profiles could be produced in the right width. That is why, working closely with the facade builder and foreman, we had to measure the systems for the built-in wind-stable vertical fabric blinds when the facades were only half made, and then install them just in time with the facade builder. Only then could the facade be completed. The colour of the boxes, guides and fabric rods marries up perfectly with the colour of the facade, so that the sun protection fits in seamlessly with the overall look. The exclusive fabric in anthracite beautifully accentuates the shiny bronze building. To make sure the fabric in the sun protection did not block out the outside world, Soltis 86 was selected for its unparalleled transparency and infiltration of natural light, not to mention its high level of user comfort.

The installations for both apartments with patios were a lot easier. The timeless articulated-arm awning NGM 20 was used here. It offers high stability and fabric tension. Plus, it provides optimum shading thanks to its integrated, fully retractable awning fabric.