Turgi’s makeover is a design winner

Village authorities have renovated old buildings and created parks (www.heimatschutz.ch) swissinfo.ch

The village of Turgi has won a prestigious architectural prize for the successful redesign and smartening up of its streets and buildings.

The local authorities in Turgi, a community of 3,000 inhabitants in canton Aargau, have spent the past ten years developing new housing, renovating historical sites and optimising the layout of their village – always with a sharp eye for design and aesthetics.

They were richly rewarded for their efforts on Thursday, when it was announced that Turgi was the winner of the Wakker Prize 2002, an architectural prize bestowed by the Swiss Heritage Society. A cheque for SFr20,000 also comes with the prize certificate.

Annual prize

The Swiss Heritage Society, an organisation dedicated to Switzerland’s architectural heritage, awards the annual prize to towns which strive to preserve architectural landmarks and promote strong, new architectural design.

In Turgi, the overhaul work has taken the form of laying out parks around the town’s nineteenth century villas and developing new, high-quality housing that blends into the existing surroundings.

Turgi’s two hundred year old cotton mills have also been given a makeover and become protected environments.

The authorities have also compiled a detailed inventory of anything that is of historical or architectural value in the village.

The official prize-giving ceremony will take place on July 29 – the same day as the village fete.

swissinfo