The Home of FIFA

A new residence for the Beautiful Game

Behind the grounds of the Zurich Academic Sports Association, the Schweizerische Kreditanstalt – today's Credit Suisse - maintained its own staff sports facility with tennis courts and football pitches as well as a covered swimming pool. In 2003 the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was able to acquire this 44,000 sqm facility in order to build an operations centre for the 200 employees of the Football Association. The client chose HRS as the overall contractor in a competition, the decisive criteria being the guarantee of rapid submission of the building application and an extremely short construction period. HRS was able to start the building application procedure just three months after the acquisition of the site. As there were no objections, the project was approved within the shortest possible period of time. The building permit was granted in May 2004. The core of the building, completed in 2006, is the Exco-Room used for conferences of the FIFA Executive Committee. The auditorium above the foyer, the meditation or prayer room for five world religions with a walk-in shrine made of illuminated onyx and the office floors with a fully glazed window area are also worthy of a special mention. The home of FIFA is topped off by a sports and training centre as well as fitness and wellness oasis.

Short construction period - a real challenge

The short completion time required grouped planning and careful synchronisation of all the work to be done. For the six underground floors, a total of 200,000 cubic meters of material had to be removed in just three months. While the ground slab in the 164-meter long and 46-meter wide excavation pit had already been completed, the excavators on the other side were still clearing the ground. The complete floor slab was completed on 15 November 2004

Art in construction

James Turrell, the lighting artist assumed the task of designing a nocturnal light feature for the building. Every evening, the home of FIFA is bathed in a ray of changing, gradient colours with striking notes in the atriums. The goal of "an architecture with fantasy" has thus been achieved.