Aviary building 2029plus
With the Voliere building in the city park, a place steeped in history in St.Gallen is to be rethought: The city is looking for a new utilization and operating concept for the listed building. The tender process will run until mid-May 2026 and the new Voliere building is scheduled to open in early summer 2029.
The Voliere building from the north-east around 1938 (Uhler Collection, St.Gallen Monument Preservation Office)
The city of St.Gallen is opening the next chapter in the history of the Voliere building: The departure of the Aviary Society at the end of 2025 will open up new possibilities for the use of the listed building and its immediate surroundings. As the owner, the city sees great potential for a change of use and reorientation. The Building Department is therefore looking for a project idea with a utilization and operating concept as part of a tendering process.
The aim of the call for proposals is to transfer the Aviary into a sustainable future, both structurally and operationally. We are looking for innovative, contemporary and independent project ideas - for example with offers from the fields of culture, art, creative industries, nature and commerce. By finding a suitable operator, the city is taking an important step towards transforming this special place. The "new aviary" is intended to become a new meeting place for the population that complements the offerings in the city park.
Operator wanted
Interested parties can find detailed information on the tender and the application form at www.stadtsg.ch/voliere2029. A tour of the building and the surrounding area will take place on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The application period runs until November 21, 2025 and the concepts submitted will be assessed by an evaluation panel comprising representatives of the city and other external experts. The decision will be made in the second quarter of 2026. The renovated aviary building with a new usage and operating concept is scheduled to open in early summer 2029.
Temporary use by the "Aviary in the Park" association
However, the Voliere building and its immediate surroundings should remain open to the public during the planning period: For three summer seasons, it is planned that the "Voliere im Park" association (operators of the cultural festival) will have the opportunity to use the site for cultural and culinary events as an interim use.
Aviary and city park
The Ornithological Society of St.Gallen was founded in 1879. This grew into the St.Gallen Aviary Society. In 1892, an octagonal aviary was built in the city park for the first time. The current building was planned and built by the architect and master builder Paul Trüdinger (1895-1961) on the occasion of the 1938 horticultural exhibition in the eastern part of the city park. It is now a listed building and is considered an architectural contemporary document of the "New Building" of the time. In 1991, the building and the enclosures, as well as the surrounding area, were extensively restored without changing the external appearance. The contract concluded in 1991 between the City of St.Gallen and the St.Gallen Aviary Society expired at the end of 2020. It has been known for several years that a structural renovation of the aviary building and the outdoor area is urgently needed.
With its Vision 2030, the city of St.Gallen is pursuing the goal of sustainably strengthening the urban living space. The central guidelines are an attractive public space, dense, high-quality construction, vibrant neighborhoods and diverse green and open spaces. Within this framework, the city has set itself the goal of upgrading the Stadtpark - one of the most important green spaces in the heart of St. Gallen and a key location for implementing the city's development goals. The realignment of the Voliere building is part of the comprehensive upgrade of the city park, which is based on the findings of the participatory process.
