The City of Zurich’s Department of Building Construction planned the conversion of former residential spaces into a kindergarten as an extension of the Manegg Elementary School. The client opted to use reused building materials to reduce embodied greenhouse gas emissions in line with the city’s 2035 net-zero target. As a result, Zirkular was commissioned a specialized planning contract for the implementation of reuse materials.
In collaboration with the architects at Bischof Föhn, a wide range of reusable elements was identified. The goal was to incorporate as many reused components as possible into both the interior and exterior spaces and to repurpose existing elements from the former living quarters, such as refurbished sinks and toilets. Whenever possible, the furniture and appliances were sourced from the secondhand inventory of the City of Zurich’s real estate department. In addition, the “component hunt” conducted by Zirkular has significantly expanded the catalog of reusable components. For example, the fire doors from the Lavater school building were installed as found. In some cases, however, components were repurposed: The steel pergola had been used as a shopping cart storage area at a large retailer and now serves on the ground floor as a trellis for plants and for attaching sunshade sails. Overall, these measures resulted in a reduction of approximately 30 percent in greenhouse gas emissions compared to a renovation using newly manufactured components.
Related publications by the City of Zurich:
Documentation of construction
Final report on the specialist study: life cycle assessment and CO₂ calculation
Final report on the specialist study on cost analysis
