Innovation Park Zurich is officially set to begin building

Seven projects were selected in a global architectural competition. They provide an initial impression of the future spatial and structural dimensions of the park.

Following an extensive architectural competition last year, to which renowned national and international firms as well as three pre-qualified young firms were invited to participate, a jury selected seven projects from the 28 submitted proposals. These will be built as part of the first phase of new construction from 2024 to around 2032. The Innovation Park will develop into an urban campus for researchers and the general public, alongside the existing buildings. One requirement for the building typologies was to create an attractive working and leisure environment that could be flexibly adapted to the changing needs of researchers and the public.

A ratio of approximately 24 percent office space, 8 percent laboratory space and 12 percent manufacturing space (e.g., for prototype production) is considered appropriate according to the current state of planning. Another 36 percent will be flexible for one of these uses. This mix will be supplemented by campus uses such as utilities, services, or research-type housing, etc., as well as other flexible-use areas of about 20 percent, primarily for dining, recreation, and other services such as shopping for daily needs. In the long term, the campus will be welcome more than 10,000 employees, as well as visitors from around the world and the local community and region.

Renovation of the historic hangars as a testimony to Swiss aviation history

The existing buildings in the peripheral zones to the north of the site have been undergoing renovation since 2020, with future plans for replacement buildings in the form of annexes to the historic airplane hangars. Work on Hangar 3 and the fire station building has been completed, while work on Hangars 2 and 4 is still ongoing. ETH Zurich, the Angst+Pfister Group and Zürcher Kantonalbank with its "Büro Züri Innovationspark" as well as the IPZ office are already tenants at the Innovation Park. The University of Zurich, another important research partner, will settle in the coming months. Construction of the first new building is scheduled to start in 2024.

The Innovation Park consists of Subzone A to the north and Subzone B to the adjacent west of the site. Initially, Subzone A, with a total area of 36 hectares, will be developed in phases and according to demand. It will be divided into three main longitudinal axes in a rectangular grid: the Apron, the Innovation Mall, and the Parkway. Transverse roads will provide access to the building sites. In addition, there will be passageways and courtyards for pedestrian traffic through the building areas in both directions.

The park as a beacon for urban development and sustainability

The Zurich Innovation Park not only aims to provide a platform for innovation and development for researchers from science and industry, but also to become a beacon for innovative urban development and sustainability. To this end, special building typologies are being developed which, thanks to their flexibility and modularity, can be used sustainably over long periods of time and have a significantly reduced ecological footprint through the use of new technologies. An extensive energy network and large-scale photovoltaic systems on roofs and facades will be used to generate energy. The underground will be used for seasonal storage of heat and cold. A comprehensive water concept will include the conservation of groundwater flows, the prevention of groundwater overheating, the use of water re-circulation systems, the improvement of flood protection and the reuse of wastewater. The Innovation Park is planned holistically and built in directly consecutive phases. This allows for coherent and intelligent management.

Winning projects architectural competition

• E2A, Zurich - Typologies FLEX and MHUB (two buildings)
• Roger Boltshauser, Zurich - Typology TECH
• Muoto, Paris - Typology FLEX
• TEN, Zurich - Typology HALL
• Mulder Zonderland, Zurich - Typology FLEX
• 3XN, Copenhagen - Typology TECH

Existing planning team (selection)

• KCAP, Zurich - Master planning, Hall 2
• Vogt Landscape Architects - Master planning
• Effekt, Copenhagen - Campus and landscape planning
• Penzel Valier, Zurich - Building typologies, FLEX typology
• Max Dudler, Zurich - Hall 4
• Meyer Dudesek, Zurich - Hall 3
• Dario Wohler, Zurich - Fire station building

For any questions, please contact Beatrice Henes at +41 (0)76 574 16 17