ETH HCP

Next step Science City

The HCP office and seminar building is part of the ETH campus on Hönggerberg, a ridge five kilometres northwest of the City of Zurich. The branch office of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) is located on a green meadow and is surrounded by large forest areas. The research and institute buildings were constructed in several stages from 1970 onwards. With the master plan, Science City was developed into a fully-fledged urban district with apartments, shops and cultural events. For this development, it was awarded the Wissenschafts-Kultur-Preis 2010 (Science Culture Prize). The new building forms the southern end of the campus and accommodates 230 workstations and four seminar rooms. HRS was the general contractor for this project.

From temporary containers to a contemporary building for offices and seminars

Originally, the building was planned as a temporary solution. It was ultimately designed as a permanent structure as a reinforced concrete skeleton construction. The concrete staircases and individual wall sections serve to stabilise the building against earthquake and wind. In terms of energy consumption, the HCP building scores highly with its self-regulating heating/cooling system, which uses a thermoactive component system. Decentralised ventilation ensures a constant pleasant room climate.