In 2021, the PWG Foundation was able to acquire a fully let commercial property in the Leutschenbach district of Zurich from the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) and intends to convert it into residential space for around 200 people.
The preliminary study shows that the existing building is worth preserving and is of very high quality, which is why the focus of Trachsler Hoffmann’s competition entry is on preserving the existing building. The design is characterised by its minimal intervention in the primary structure. Careful adaptations and the addition of various external elements significantly enhance the quality of the existing building. A hall in the two inner courtyards, a new pergola and a roof garden have been added. The reuse of building elements was also already anchored in the competition design.
After winning the competition, Zirkular was brought into the project team. By screening the building and analysing the potential of the existing building, it was possible to see in detail which materials were actually suitable for reuse. The project team also defined which components from external demolitions could be reused. The focus here is on the search for steel components that can be used in the three elements of the hall, pergolas and roof garden. A first component has already been stored. The steel girders of the former walkway that connected the two SRF buildings across Leutschenbachstrasse. The passerelle was the same height as the planned arcade and is now to be reinstalled as the base of the arcade.
