Pfalzkeller Emergency Service Centre

The 24-hour emergency services centre of the Canton of Sankt Gallen is located next to a monastery and a cathedral. Sensitivity to this site, as well as security concerns, led to the design of this largely underground building, with only its elliptical glass roof protruding from its plinth. The sealed space with its mezzanine floor meets the client's requirements for a self-contained functional system. For the roof, armoured glass elements of seven centimetres thickness and weighing up to two tonnes are self-supporting along the curved ridge. Because this glazed roof covers the central space housing the electronic control systems, the need for light and temperature control is essential: a symmetrical system of rotating, arched tubes positions articulated slats on each side of the roof, and thus controls daylight (text from website Galinsky.com).