In 1951, the
client commissioned Hans Hofmann, together with architects Bercher
& Zimmer and urban landscape gardner R. Arioli, with the civil
engineering and landscaping works. The technical specifications dictated
the proportions, subterranean construction and building layout.
Hans Hofmann wanted to avoid
constructing a power house resembling a heavy, closed block. Even
in his earliest drafts, he opted for a hall that was glazed down its
full length. He offset the 300-tonne rolling weight of the craneway
and the wind pressure by means of forked piles. This principle of
static pressure that he had opted for instinctively – Hofmann
compared it to trees – was confirmed by the statisticians’
calculations. He wanted to give passers-by a view into the plant’s
interior by building a public footpath through the power house, but
the idea had to be dropped for technical reasons. All the models were
constructed in green-painted concrete. Relieved by white lines and
white window frames, the construction reflected Hofmann’s efforts
to build a plant that, combined with the landcaping, radiated cheerfulness.
And it certainly does.
