Defined by the arcs of the former freight tracks connected with the railroad station of the old Zähringer town of Rheinfelden as well as by excessive noise generated to the south, which both during the day and especially at night clearly surpasses ordinance limits, the specific geometry of the site determines the urban setting of this ensemble stretching over 300 m. The use is accommodated by two various building volumes with a public space spanning between them. At the northern end this configuration responds in a differentiated manner. While here the development appears closed towards the fragment of the edge of the block to the east, it unfolds to the part of the open built environment along Quellenstrasse through interconnected half-courtyards. Receding building heights establish a successful transition to the existing density of the neighboring quarter.
The two volumes are conceived as a back-to-back double wall construction and are clad with solid clinker brick. Loosely articulated, the façades lend composure to the site, demonstrate weight, and elude a whiff of zeitgeist. The windows are flush-mounted on the interior, which reinforces the punched window character of the exterior appearance. The size of the openings responds to the position of the façade in order to optimize solar heat gain in the building. The contrasting window dimensions occur through the number of horizontal as well as vertical clinker bricks of the surface of the closed exterior walls.
