Young Zurich-based restaurateur, Alexander Hellberg, has created a new and innovative podium for wine at Zurich's Zinnengasse 4. Based on plans by Zurich architects Stefan Wülser & Nicolaj Bechtel, Lasa Marmo has composed a white marble monolith for the wine bar made of Lasa Marble, which can accommodate up to 24 people.
For the architect Stefan Wülser, neither the place nor the house had a connection to wine. "However, the house has a long history, which is virtually negated by several complete renovation phases. The discrepancy between themed architecture, an almost featureless space and a place steeped in history, provided the opportunity for a conceptual experiment", explains Wülser. Accordingly, the new use of the premises was considered a "thematic import". The atmosphere of the room and its identity were to be understood as a detached, new level. The uncontrollable geometry resulting from several conversions is almost dissolved by means of a black and white horizon with maximum contrast. With two simple, static interventions, the space is opened up and its size made tangible. The bar located in the middle of the room is made of solid Lasa marble, consisting of five blocks, weighing a total of 19 tonnes. The almost unprocessed monoliths show traces of transport and use and stand directly on the floor. Holes drilled in the blocks bear witness to the technique of transport, and a simple, broken-off edge indicates their use as a bar. There is no ‘behind’ or ‘in front of’ the bar, there are only the blocks that dominate the space, creating a new, previously non-existent centre in the wine bar.
