Rethinking Urban Density
Elysium with Mantis presents a new urban model—one that fuses architecture, infrastructure, and public life into a single, cohesive system. Conceived by Studioforma for Zurich, the proposal consists of a 240-metre mixed-use residential tower and an accessible pedestrian bridge. Together, they create a vertical neighbourhood that is dense yet inclusive, tall yet socially generous.
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Elysium
Skyscraper Architecture (Concept)
Firm
Studioforma Associated Architects AG
Architect/Designer
Alex Leuzinger
Design Team
Studioforma Associated Architects AG
Location
Hardbrücke, Zürich
Country
Switzerland
Photographer/Copyright
©Studioforma Associated Architects AG
A Neighbourhood in the Sky
Elysium compresses the essential layers of urban life—612 homes, retail, co-working spaces, hotel accommodation, green areas, and cultural venues—into a single compact footprint. Six sky lobbies serve as elevated public squares, encouraging interaction across levels. Garden corridors and shared terraces link these spaces throughout the height of the tower. One-third of the housing units are reserved as affordable, making the city’s tallest building one of its most equitable.
Mantis – A Cultural Connector
Mantis is a gently sloping bridge that links the street level to the twelfth-floor courtyard. Rather than acting as mere infrastructure, it serves as an elevated public promenade, inviting people to move slowly, pause, and engage with their surroundings. Below it lies a 1,256-seat open-air amphitheatre, transforming disused railway infrastructure into a vibrant civic space for culture, gathering, and shared experience.
Hybrid Structure, Low-Carbon Logic
Elysium’s structural system pairs engineered timber columns with post-tensioned concrete belts. This hybrid approach minimises embodied carbon, allows for prefabrication, and supports future disassembly. The building’s modular façade incorporates triple glazing, shading elements, and irrigated planting—designed to optimise daylight, reduce overheating, and lower energy demand. A three-metre-wide vertical void supports natural ventilation and introduces a sense of openness deep within the tower.
Public Space, Layered and Accessible
From ground-floor arcades to sky gardens, Elysium is designed as a continuum of shared space. Public and semi-public areas are distributed vertically, challenging the notion that towers must be exclusive or inward-looking. These layers of accessibility transform the high-rise from an isolated object into an active, evolving piece of the city.
Long-Term Urban Impact
Positioned at a key transport hub, the project fosters walkability and reclaims underused land for civic benefit. It demonstrates how density can be a tool for inclusion and regeneration, not just efficiency. The integration of housing, nature, culture, and mobility into one vertical framework offers a practical and imaginative vision for future-ready urban growth.