Revitalization of the Town Center of Davos Dorf

Siteplan

With our entry to the urban design ideas and project competition, we propose a new town centre for Davos Dorf that brings arriving, lingering and living together in one place. The design is guided by three principles: freedom, dynamism and stability.

We translate these principles into an interplay of ovals and ellipses. The oval has long been regarded as a symbol of origin and, for us, stands for freedom of thought as well as civil and political freedom. The ellipse refers to Johannes Kepler, who described the elliptical orbits of the planets, and thus to the freedom of science and knowledge. The combination of both forms creates an architecture that feels calm and dynamic at the same time.

The rounded forms also bring practical benefits: they allow compact volumes with a favourable surface-to-volume ratio, thereby reducing energy demand and saving material. The centrepiece of the design is a large timber and glass roof that brings the railway station, platforms and bus station together under one cover. Travellers can change between trains and buses sheltered from the weather, and the station forecourt becomes a covered meeting place at the heart of the town.

The roof is planned as a timber-steel hybrid structure: the main girders are made of glued laminated timber, the edge beams of steel. The steel columns perform several functions at once, supporting the roof while also serving as rainwater downpipes and ventilation shafts.
The new station building is complemented by commercial space, a residential quarter and an underground car park. The result is a lively centre that gives Davos Dorf a distinctive identity and offers locals and visitors alike a place where they enjoy arriving and staying.

Train station forecourt

Residential area

View from the platform

Train station

Roof plan