Who is responsible for maintaining the quality of the place?

Between 1960 and 1965, the Geneva-based architect Paul Waltenspühl built two new production halls at Netstal’s new factory site. He was already involved in the planning of possible future expansions, which the company carefully implemented in the following decades. In addition to these initial two production halls, Paul Waltenspühl also built a number of smaller service buildings for power generation and company administration. Even 60 years after the completion of the first buildings and despite two extensions, the factory complex still looks like a unified whole.

Does the place serve its purpose?

In the 1950s, Netstal Maschinen AG experienced a significant increase in demand. The company needed to expand its production facilities, but an expansion at the existing site in the village of Netstal, which had given the company its name, was not possible. So in 1960, the machine-building company bought 50,000 square metres of flat land in the neighbouring village of Näfels, directly on the Escher Canal. Since 1961, this site has been home to the global company’s headquarters and its only production plant.

Is the place distinguished by durable construction and little need for maintenance?

In the 1960s, the Geneva-based architect Paul Waltenspühl developed a project that already anticipated possible expansions. His combination of spacious assembly halls and an economical constructive design facilitated changes of use. The halls adhered to a basic, easily expandable system based on a 13×13 metre column grid. This basic system proved so successful that it was used again for the third factory extension in 2000.

Are the construction materials and methods durable, require little maintenance, and maintain or even enhance the place’s value?

Most of the buildings on the factory grounds are made of concrete, iron, corrugated metal and glass – all durable and robust materials. Concrete bases are surmounted by ribbon windows with corrugated metal cladding above, punctuated by large roll-up doors giving access to the handling and storage yard. The halls are lit not only from the sides, but also from gabled glass skylights set atop the flat roofs, which shine like lanterns at night. The oldest production halls have now been in operation for over 60 years.

Does the place ensure equality, freedom, safety and a reliable means of existence?

The canton of Glarus was one of Switzerland’s first industrialised areas, and remains one of its most industrialised. Sectors still represented in the small canton include machinery and equipment, textiles, wood processing and building materials. Netstal Maschinen AG is an important employer in the region with around 450 employees. It also offers eleven different apprenticeships for school graduates, such as plastics engineer, automation engineer or computer scientist.

Is the place in dialogue with the landscape, urban fabric, colours and materials?

Between 1960 and 1965, the first two halls for the production and assembly of injection moulding machines for Netstal Maschinen AG were built between the railway line and the straightened Linth river in Näfels. The factory ensemble, which has since expanded considerably, still has a coherent appearance, embedded in the alpine landscape of the Glarus region. The cubic grey buildings, with their corrugated metal façades and roof lanterns, harmonise well with the wide plains and mountain flanks of the valley.

Is the place notable for its distinctiveness?

The Glarus region is characterised by great differences in altitude: from the flat valley floor at an altitude of 414 metres, the terrain rises to the peak of the Tödi massif at an altitude of 3612 metres. The most visible human intervention to tame nature is the “Linthwerk” river regulation works, which, together with the Linth and Escher Canals, still shapes the appearance of the region. The grounds of the machine factory stretch out on the flat valley floor alongside the Escher Canal.

Does the design of the place take the surroundings into account?

The buildings seem well proportioned, capacious, functional and serene. The ends of the gabled glass skylights echo the shape of the Netstal Maschinen AG logo. In this instance, architecture and brand identity enter into a successful and strong visual congruence. The skylights running along the flat roofs appear as an abstract interpretation of the steep flanks of the Glarus mountains, which rise up on one side just behind the factory.