Pensimo / Zwhatt

Courageous people change the world

 
Courage is a prerequisite for success. It is impossible to discover anything new if you don’t have the courage to leave the well-trodden path. Even if you sometimes play by the rules – like Pensimo Management AG.

«Create sustainable relevance for a municipal district» – that is the aspiration that Pensimo wanted to live up to for Zwhatt, a development in Regensdorf. Today, the company is following the best path to its goal, thanks to lots of courage and a more-than-unconventional approach.

That’ll never work, they said
«You might be able to do that in Berlin or London, but not Regensdorf!» It wouldn’t be fair to say that mandate manager Bruno Fritschi met with nothing but support when he presented the idea of artists Frank and Patrik Riklin for the first time. In fact, Zwhatt is more than just a structure: Zwhatt is art. At least, it is the only district in the world built atop an art museum.

An art museum as the foundations – quite literally
The artworks of the Riklin Foundation are concreted into the foundations of Zwhatt. How’s that for sustainable relevance? The district will attain this relevance for its primary target group of millennials, above all. They, in particular, know how to appreciate the courage and creative radicality that is rarely seen in the real estate sector. The concrete-clad art museum celebrates the spirit of community in the Zwhatt district and aligns with a modern, urban lifestyle.

The artworks encompass the very thing intended to breathe life into the district: an unexpected encounter
Each of the artworks at the Riklin Foundation brings together objects that the Riklin brothers collected from residents in the local area. They knocked on doors in Regensdorf, Adlikon and Watt on the spur of the moment, were given everyday items by residents and turned them into art. These «Zwhattified» pieces of art consist of two parts taken from two similar everyday objects. The new objects created in this way symbolically represent the unusual merging of situations and events – and, by extension, an appealing, neighbourly community.

All the artworks are documented and made accessible to residents, both via a catalogue and in person via an enhanced-reality art trail.

GRIP loves Zwhatt
We want to make one thing clear: the art museum is absolutely not a marketing gag. The artists are utterly independent, with each of their decisions always impacting the construction. Giving the artists this significant amount of freedom and taking the ensuing risks is a veritable achievement on the part of our client. We are truly impressed: we are more than proud to be looking after the area and marketing communication for the Zwhatt district on behalf of Pensimo Management AG.