Waterworld
Visitors must not be afraid of water, because the great waters of Eastern Switzerland await you as a barefoot adventure landscape. Aua extrema entices you into the interconnected theme of water.
The presentation of the seven cantons of Eastern Switzerland is astonishing and unusual: the water forest, ice flower house, water panorama and water bar are no dry runs. Aua extrema (Rhaeto-Romanic: diverse extreme water) is the liquid and extreme bracket for eastern Switzerland between the Rhine Falls and the glacier world of Graubünden. Aua extrema, however, brings eastern Switzerland and Switzerland into the global cycle: Aua extrema is world water, Kaltbrunn and Wasserauen at the same time.
Barefoot in the world of water
Around 2500 dripping water hoses form the water forest. We can't see the wood for the (water) trees! Sometimes roaring, sometimes singing water sounds acoustically move this large artificial nature along the coasts from lighthouse to lighthouse. The contrast between nature and artificiality reaches its climax in the fantastic ice flower house: hot ground, hot air (28°C) - and real ice flowers all around, just like on the windows of the winter mountain house! Touching is allowed. A fantastic harmony, were it not for the political rift: women run across the ice flower nets around the water. All the water on this earth is part of the same cycle. But water is unequally distributed. Even today, around 1.4 billion people have no direct access to water.
Water every day. More water than others
The Alpine countries of Europe have a lot of water, more water than other parts of the world. The large lake of Aua extrema opens up a panoramic view of the blue gold. Glowing traces run from the seas past distant river towns into the interior of the unnamed landscape: back to water-rich eastern Switzerland, to the springs on Piz Longhin, San Bernardino, the Oberalp Pass, Tödi and Säntis. Watersheds and rivers cross cantonal and national borders. Aua extrema is at home in the world.
Arteplage
Neuchâtel
Visitor capacity per day
7'625
Total visitors
893'670
Partners
Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Canton Appenzell Innerrhoden
Canton Glarus
Canton Grisons
Canton Schaffhausen
Canton St. Gallen
Canton Thurgau
Content
Peter Röllin, Rapperswil
Architecture and scenography
KoeppelMartinez Architekten AG (Marco Koeppel, Carlos Martinez www.carlosmartinez.ch), Widnau
Overall project management
Reinhard Frei & Partner AG (Reinhard Frei), Au www.freicom.ch
Communication
Zahner & Partner AG (Martin Zahner), St. Gallen
Panorama
Landmark Switzerland / 2nd West GmbH, Rapperswil www.2ndwest.ch
Sound composition
Ernst Thoma
Statics
Fischer Ingenieure AG (Konradin Fischer), Arbon www.fischering.ch
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
Fürer Heizungen AG (Markus Fürer), Rorschach www.fuerer.ch
Sanitary and swimming pool technology
Schneider Aquatec AG (Daniel Häfele), Staad www.aquatec-consulting.com
Electrical
Elektro Rhyner AG (Patrick Rhyner), Glarus www.erag.ch
Responsible Cantonal projects Expo.02
Lisa Humbert-Droz
CoachingExpo.02
Armin Heusser (Head)
Christelle Wick
Operations management
Patrick Koeppel (Head of Operations/Personnel)
Gaby Heeb (VIP and Guest Services Manager & Deputy Head of Operations/Human Resources)
Michael Friedli (Head of Hostesses/Hosts)
Bettina Brüschweiler (Deputy Head of Hostesses/Hosts)
Felix Lenz (Lifeguard)
Robert Fischer (Deputy Lifeguard)
Marlies Beczök (Deputy VIP and guest attendant)
Claudia Kessler (Runner)
Hostesses/Hosts (May to July)
Carmen Angehrn, Rhena Forrer, Muriel Haunreiter, Andrea Huser, Bettina Kundert, Nicole Losurdo, Judith Lutz, Nicole Räss, Sandra Spinas, Gerda Stolz
Hostesses/Hosts (August to October)
Peter Bühlmann, Karin Burkart, Petra Cajacob, Silvia Casanova, Sandra Freitag, Mirjam Holenstein, Rebecca Müller, Marianne Schwyn, Ramona Sonderegger, Sandra Streuli
Photos: Press kits Aua extrema; Aua extrema; © Carlos Martinez www.carlosmartinez.ch; © Nüssli (Schweiz) AG, Hüttwilen, www.nussli.com; © Jürg Frei; © Martin Lüchinger; © Andreas Mosimann; © Tom Weilenmann: © Claude Zingg; @ Archive Ralph Ammann; © Trudy Hebeisen; © Claude Comte; © Fürer Heizungen AG
