Kulturfabrik Kofmehl in Solothurn, Switzerland by ssm Architekten

"The Koofmäu" (with a neutral connotation – it – such as for the "Konsum" which gives a notion of familiarity and intimacy of the local village life) represents as an institution a coherent system of social and cultural codes, that on first glance has little to do with contemporary architecture.

The architectural symbol of the youth culture is found in abandoned barracks, warehouses and stalls that were occupied in the 1980s by angry youth who played colourful electric guitars and drums through loudspeakers on black walls as a sign of protest.

Each side is with a few elements individually designed. The front wall is directed towards the street and is marked by eyecatchers such as the inscription and the sliding gate that seems to disconnect itself almost weightlessly from the wall.

Reference to contemporary art is made through a cubic window, which the architects used as a connection – as a blink so to speak – to the town and the Jura mountain range and which fits in well with the rest of the structure. A cantilever roof on the northeastern wall serves as shelter to people waiting to enter into the foyer through a portal, which is "veiled" with perforated metal sheets. Two stairways give the opposite façade its own strong identity.

Architects: ssm Architekten ag
Project year: 2004
Construction year: 2005
Engineering: H. Katzenstein AG
Constructed Area: 1,720 sqm
Photographs: Hansruedi Riesen