Schaffhausen is regarded as the city of oriels. Hundreds of oriels give the Old Town a visibly distinctive character. A minimalistic, abstract image is derived from this. The contours of oriels form a lively line with an illusionistic spatial effect, making the entrance to the city block of the Stadthaus into a portal. The image points the way to the entrance.

The response to the historic built fabric lies in moderate modernity and an emphasis on the existing shades of red, as well as in the fact that something large (but nevertheless restrained) is set against the small-scale character of the situation.

The oriel contour motif connects the outside and the inside. Although the high degree of abstractness diminishes its recognisability, it lends a second layer of meaning to the image, because urban life and urban diversity is represented in the succession of vertical contours. In other words: the mood of the city of Schaffhausen gains a visual aesthetic. The motif of the outer façade is not transferred 1:1 to the inside, as a different perception is dominant inside. On the outside, a distant view and embedding in the architectural complex operate, whereas on the inside only the close-up view and a spatial feeling that ought not to be restricted by visual energies take effect. For this reason, on the inside the motif is merely quoted on a smaller scale by means of repetition in changed form on the individual sections of wall. The consistency of the entire wall is achieved through perspectival relationships and a colour concept that is applied throughout.