NEW CONSTRUCTION URBAN QUARTER ZWHATT REGENSDORF
February 06, 2024
A new district is being created
From 2022 to 2030, construction work will be underway in Regensdorf for the new Zurich district "Zwhatt" in the Regensdorf-Watt area. 600 new apartments and 15,000 square meters of commercial space will be created. Zwhatt is considered a flagship project and is part of the federal "Climate-adapted site development" program.
Living in Zwhatt also means living there. The concept of the development area provides for a wide variety of uses thanks to a wide range of rooms and outdoor spaces. From shopping facilities and restaurants to pharmacies, doctors' and dentists' surgeries, crèches, kindergartens and schools, everything is included. In addition, the station next to the district offers a fast and direct connection to Zurich main station.
A total of ten buildings are being constructed on the Zwhatt site. ERNE AG Bauunternehmung is working with around 60 structural engineering employees to build the shell structures on construction site G, which includes high-rise G, the loggia, pavilion, transverse building and commercial building, as well as the solid construction for the timber hybrid high-rise H1.
Commercial and residential spaces are being created in high-rise buildings H1 and G as well as in the transverse building, while the commercial building will provide space exclusively for businesses.
ZWHATT high-rise building H1
The H1 project is a 24-storey timber hybrid building for residential and commercial use. At 75 meters, Switzerland's tallest timber high-rise is being built in close collaboration with ERNE Holzbau.
The 11.40 meter high, imposing entrance area is a solid construction. The red-colored exposed concrete stands out. The exact color code for the red tone was defined by the architect and presented our team with the challenge of preparing the concrete in exactly this color. In addition, the areas with high-quality exposed concrete on the ground floor and on the first and second floors required great craftsmanship.
The board structure, which remains visible in the concrete in the final result, was individually defined by the architect with different widths. This required maximum precision in the formwork process.
The high and open entrance area is designed as a cantilevered section and overhangs by seven meters. Once the building is completed, it will be supported by just two pillars. As a structural measure, this allows for a prestressed beam. During the construction period, the load of this area is additionally supported with sprouts, in this case with ten-meter-high tree trunks.
Well-coordinated operations
From the 4th floor onwards, the team of master builders constructed the elevator shaft and the stairwell core walls with a two-storey projection in reinforced concrete. The floor was then ready for the prefabricated timber modules to be installed. The timber construction team then installed the modular structures around the core, completing the shell of the building.
Together, the teams from ERNE Bauunternehmung and ERNE Holzbau worked out an exact schedule for the crane utilization. On the construction site, where space was tight, the modules delivered by ERNE Holzbau had to be installed quickly to free up valuable space. The crane's time slots for moving the timber modules were therefore meticulously timed.
The two high-performance teams from ERNE Bauunternehmung and ERNE Holzbau completed one floor in a 6-day rhythm.
Commercial building with ceiling elements weighing 18 tons
On construction site G, the ERNE team realized, among other things, the eight-storey commercial building.
The core area and the outer walls of the basement floors are made of in-situ concrete. The remaining load-bearing structure from the first floor upwards consists of a steel column/girder construction, which was reinforced and concreted on site. For the ceilings, ribbed ceiling elements weighing up to 18.25 tons and measuring 3 x 19 meters with pre-stressed beams were used, which were also covered with concrete.
The delivery of these prefabricated ceiling elements posed a logistical challenge and had to be precisely coordinated. 24 trucks with special transports delivered the ceiling panels at intervals of around 30 minutes. Our team used a pneumatic crane to move the heavy elements and install them on the steel structure.
Underground parking garage in mixed construction
The parking garage consists of a mixed construction of prefabricated ceiling slabs and conventionally formed and on-site concreted ceiling areas, which alternate in strips. As construction site G was planned by two different architects, the construction types also differ for the overarching parking garage. For example, one part was built with sand-lime bricks and the other with cement blocks.
Digital BIM construction site
The construction site was completely paperless. In three planning cabins equipped with screens, the foremen, supervisors and team leaders were able to read and implement information directly from the model. Tablets were available for mobile use directly on the construction site.
The digital construction method was very efficient. The foremen could easily see how much concrete was needed for a stage and how long they needed for a section. The team also identified complex reinforcement areas at an early stage with the help of the 3D model, allowing them to react and coordinate with other partners in advance.
The 3D plans were created by the civil engineer and then prepared by ERNE's own VDC department for the needs of the construction team.
In this project, the ERNE BIM team faced the challenge of harmonizing multi-layered BIM model data from different execution planners. Thanks to the team's expertise and close collaboration with the foremen, it was possible to optimize these models so that they would be fully effective directly on site.
SRF "Schweiz aktuell" about the beauty of Zwhatt
The new Zwhatt district near Regensdorf-Watt railroad station with its innovative timber-hybrid construction of the 75-metre-high high-rise is a project of great public interest. In the "Schweiz aktuell" summer series "Beautiful Switzerland", SRF - Swiss Radio and Television focuses on beauty in all its facets. The second part on the subject of "beautiful buildings" focuses on the new Zwhatt district north of Zurich.
The report shows the broad meaning of the term "beauty" in construction, which goes far beyond the external appearance.
Zwhatt documentary film
The creation of the new Zwhatt urban quarter was captured in a documentary film.
The second part of this Zwhatt film shows how a great idea becomes a neighborhood.
Here you can go straight to the heart of the action:
Zwhatt-Film
