Sonnenhof Rapperswil, Shopping center in Rapperswil, Switzerland
Sonnenhof is a shopping, residential and office complex on Zürcherstrasse at the northeastern end of Rapperswil's old town, built with sandblasted concrete, exposed aggregate concrete and coloured sheet metal. Its interior originally had dark red artificial stone floors with dark walls and ceilings, repainted light grey and white in the 1990s. A renovation by Ramseier & Associates ran from May 2011 to autumn 2012.
The center opened in 1978 and ranked among the first shopping centers in the St. Gallen region. It rose on former fortification grounds at the edge of the old town and marked a shift in how Swiss retail was developing at that time.
The name reflected the center's role as a new retail hub for the town, showing how American shopping malls influenced Swiss commerce in that era. Visitors today experience a place where routine shopping and local services merge into daily life.
The complex stands on Zürcherstrasse at the northeastern end of the old town, near Stadthofplatz, on the road toward Kempraten. The main entrance faces the Rapperswil railway station across the street. The 2011–2012 renovation by Ramseier & Associates modernised the shopping, residential and office levels.
The site was the only free land in the community after the town's fortifications were demolished, which is why the complex was built there. The facade uses sandblasted concrete, exposed aggregate concrete and coloured sheet metal, and the interior originally had dark red artificial stone floors with dark walls and ceilings.
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