Winterthur: Abenrot Foundation hands over head building 118
On the Lagerplatz in Winterthur, the Abendrot Foundation has built a new house from old components. The revitalised head building 118 was recently handed over to the tenants and users.
According to the Abendrot Foundation, the head building 118, the former Sulzer model construction workshop, was expanded in situ according to the plans of the Zurich construction office and extended by three floors. What makes this revitalization so special is that well over half of the "new old building" consists of reused components that were no longer needed elsewhere due to conversions or demolitions. The new old building houses ZHAW/ZPP workrooms and workshops on the ground and first floors, and studios and offices on the three upper floors.
According to the foundation, the majority of the component puzzle was assembled by companies from Winterthur and the surrounding area: The steel structure comes from the dismantling of a food warehouse in Basel, the windows from Plant 1 in Winterthur. Further windows, granite façade panels and metal railings were taken from the Orion office building in Zurich, as was a matching external stair tower; the red façade sheeting for the extension was dismantled before the demolition of the Ziegler printing works in Winterthur. Glass blocks for partition walls, skylights, blinds and exterior and interior doors were also taken from other buildings. All in all, "a building with a strong character" was created at comparable costs to a new building in conventional construction, but in contrast to a conventional new building, a CO2eq reduction of almost 60 percent was achieved for the 118 head building.
Scientific project monitoring by the planners together with the ZHAW has investigated and documented the ecological and economic aspects of the project as well as the effects on financing, planning and the construction process. The findings will be summarized in a book, which will be published in late summer 2021. (bw)
