In collaboration with:Chair of Construction Heritage and Preservation, Prof. Dr. Silke Langenberg, Reto Wasser Chair of History and Theory of Architecture, Prof. Dr. Maarten Delbeke, Linda StagniA relic can be defined for what it is, but what makes it a relic is even more fundamental. Its essence lies in the possibility it offers - that of a ritual. A procession, a cult, a mise en scène, that offers meaning to the relic. A series of actions carried out in a singular and similar way and repeated at regular intervals, which give the element - even the simplest - a new reality that ends up defining it.
The post office accompanies a daily ritual that, despite the changes that have occurred throughout history, remains. This project aims to restore the social quality of postal services by reimagining the role of ritual in a visit to the post office.
At Hofwiesenstrasse 3, the elements related to the logistics of postal services are thus condensed in the first basement directly linked to the distribution area. On the ground floor, only the counters are still in place, thus opening up the floor plan. The counter room appears as the meeting place between the employees and the users of the postal services. It is one of the possible places of departure and arrival of mail, but it represents above all the human qualities, the social aspect of the post office. The whole ritual of a visit to the post office - entering, welcoming, waiting, caring, exchanging - takes place in this space.
