The design of the new entrance to the Grisons parliament building provides the
building itself and the institution it houses with a suitable identity and a
sumptuous, refined character. The idea is to allow all visitors with or without
disabilities to access the building in the same way naturally and comfortably.
The stony part of the new building is made of white, monolithic, in situ
concrete, while the railing is made of massive bronze. The white concrete is
composed of white cement, white sand and gray gravel from the local area. The
walking surfaces have been sanded down and roughened.
From the square on the south side a ramp leads to the pre-existing entrance
door. The proportions of the base and the room height are classically
monumental and imbue the entrance with a public and festive character. The
roof stretches out over the ramp and has a width of 18 metres, an area of 70
square metres and a weight of 90 tons. This heavy element is only supported by
a thin pillar and by a “hanging column”. The impression of heaviness lends the
space under the roof a sense of interiority and protection. The simultaneity of
exposed and hidden forces results in a somewhat unreal character.
Entrance to the Grisons Parliament building
The “hanging column” stands next to the entrance door and leads the visitor
inside the building. It barely touches the ramp and seems to hang from the roof.
Slightly rotated out of the surrounding geometry, it stands on the highest point of
the base and seems to continue rotating. It playfully balances the apparently
weightless roof, as if gravity did not exist.
