You could easily mistake it for the futuristic temple of a distant deity. However, the extraterrestrial-looking Ferrohaus is essentially a case of necessity being the mother of invention: the Swedish metal company Ferrolegeringar commissioned architect Justus Dahinden to design its new headquarters. The challenge was that he had to comply with strict building regulations requiring the top floors to be set back. In response, Dahinden came up with the iconic pyramid shape. The Cor-Ten steel cladding references the client’s field of activity.

The postwar icon was part of a major redesign of Lake Zurich’s right bank in the 1960s and was granted listed status in 2021. Having housed a private beauty clinic from 1993 until 2025, the Pyramid is currently treating itself to a gentle facelift to ready up for its next reincarnation. Whatever that may be, the Pyramid will always be one of Zurich’s most futuristic buildings.

Oh, and what has the Pyramid got to do with brutalism? Technically, not very much. But if you set it in concrete, it would tick all the boxes. So we declare it a brute in spirit.