The return of the high-rise in Switzerland

"For a long time it seemed that skyscrapers were incompatible with the Helvetic self-image: Hubertus Adam points out that the rural emphasis in the country's self-image led it to resist the trend to go vertical. However, in view of projects for the construction of "sculptural high-rises in Zurich, Basel, Locarno and Davos, he reports on a "renaissance of the high-rise building" in Switzerland. "While in cities like London, Paris and Frankfurt – not to mention the American and Asian metropolis – high rises don't stand alone but in clusters; in Switzerland they will, for the time being, be solitary figures on the skyline. However, the trend towards new and unusual forms which make individual buildings stand out in a crowd (like Norman Foster's 'Cucumber' in London) is also making its mark here in Switzerland. It's no longer about who can build the highest building but more about symbolic and creative design."

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