Majority of Zurich’s inhabitants had voted yes to the extension of the SWISSMILL grain silo, in Zurich’s valourised industrial district, in February 2011, only to dislike the result five years later. The controversial discussion sparked a trend where design studios, architecture offices and the people started proposing creative solutions to beautify the façade of the concrete colossus.
STUDIOFORMA proposed a visionary concept of the silo in respect of urban development, inspired by the “Bosco Verticale” in Milan and the appealing sculpture “Cloud Gate” in Chicago. The concept envisions the silo as an equation of nature and hi-tech by covering the lower half in a lush vertical garden and encasing the upper half in a mirrored glass.