Outline Concept
“The newly added building will have the necessary floor areas layered one on top of the other, and slanted to the north at a 30-degree angle as if being moored to the Grossmarkthalle. The design juxtaposes the two volumes in a mutually dependent form.

The form thus created strongly resembles the Chinese character hito. The character hito means “human being”, and can be traced back to a pictogram of two people standing side by side and supporting each other. A shape featuring two objects standing but leaning at an angle to each other would disappear if either of the lines were removed. In terms of this particular project, the Grossmarkthalle and a new additional building can maintain their original form only in an interactive, linked context. This relativity represents the union of the past and the future that forms the basis for the creation of a new European community facility.

By remodeling and reinforcing the structure, the Grossmarkthalle is rejuvenated as a building equipped with contemporary functions and features. On top of this remodeled building, a “sky library” will be added to link the original section with the new slanted section.

The Grossmarkthalle functions as a major entrance hall to welcome visitors without losing its original image of a huge continuous space.

The “sky library” and the entrance hall are assembled as a unified space. Light falling from the top through the opened halls provides the space with a sense of serenity and grandeur.

The landscape takes the form of a single axis line that stretches as far as the river and a myriad of rectangular shapes. By having water act as a physical barrier, the inside will be separated physically from the outside.”