Steiner develops urban district in Bülach North
On March 7, the eleven entries from the internationally conducted study contract for the development of the Vetropack site in Bülach North were presented. Steiner AG wants to develop a new urban quarter on the site in the Zurich Unterland together with the development partners Logis Suisse and Baugenossenschaft Glattal Zürich (BGZ).
According to those responsible, the project is to become a "prime example of dense construction and urban planning concepts of the future"; it will comprise around 600 apartments and more than 20,000 square meters of commercial and service space.
For 111 years, glass packaging for beverages, food and pharmaceuticals was produced on the approximately 42,000 square meter site of the Vetropack company (formerly Glashütte Bülach). Since production was stopped at the end of February 2002, the site, which is located north of the city center in the direct vicinity of Bülach train station, has lain fallow. In June 2012, Logis Suisse AG and Baugenossenschaft Glattal Zürich acquired the site and signed an exclusive contract with Steiner AG for project development and realization. Steiner then organized a single-stage urban design study contract. After the design plan became legally binding in December 2015, all the contributions of the eleven invited international teams of architects are now being presented to the public for the first time.
One of the most important goals of the study commission was to combine a high urban planning and architecturally convincing quality with a variety of usage requirements on the site. The new urban quarter will have an exceptionally high density by Swiss standards.
The evaluation committee, which consisted of representatives of the client, consultants and experts, recommended the project by Duplex Architekten for further elaboration. The firm was involved in the urban planning concept for the Hunziker site in Zurich North. Duplex's project "has the potential to fundamentally upgrade the area and to develop it in a lively manner through the types of use of commercial, services and residential, due to its convincing urban setting, presence and dynamism," according to a media release. Participants in the study contract included international offices such as BIG Bjarke Ingels Group from Denmark and KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten from Germany.
The construction application for the overall project is planned for the end of 2016. Construction is expected to start in spring 2018 at the earliest.
