Matthias Winter

The river Sihl | Changing the conditions of a river and its city . Zurich

Matthias Winter . ETH Zürich . Tutor: Christian Kerez . + archiprix

The riverbed of the Sihl is dimensioned for high-water scenarios even though the water level is very low most of the time. This leads to huge distances between the city and the river and a barely usable riverbank. By means of a retention area in Zurich’s Allmend, the project completely eliminates the risk of flooding in the inner city, and thus creates new possibilities for the treatment of the riverbank and for the water level itself. In the city centre, the water surface is raised several metres to a steady level. Thanks to the new border, the city and the water level meet and thus establish a new connection between the city and the water. The newly gained free space along the river is restored to the city.