Zurich: Starting signal for SBB HB North project
Construction work has begun on SBB Immobilien's HB Nord project in Zurich. To the north of the main station, apartments are being built, along with restaurant, service and retail space.
After seven years of development and planning, the groundbreaking ceremony for the HB North project on the Zollstrasse site took place on July 10. SBB says it is investing around CHF 149 million in the construction.
The project consists of the Gleisarena and Gleistribüne buildings: The Gleisarena comprises two service buildings with retail and restaurant space on the first floor. Offices will be built on the upper floors. Responsability Investments AG has been confirmed as the anchor tenant. The asset manager will move into the building from 2020.
The Gleistribüne is located directly next to the Gleisarena. This comprises three residential buildings with 139 apartments, eight retail spaces, four commercial spaces and a restaurant with a terrace. According to SBB Immobilien, leasing of the 1.5- to 4.5-room apartments will start in the fall of 2018, and marketing of the retail space and the space for the restaurant business will begin this summer.
In the outdoor area of the buildings, there will be passages in the direction of the track field and a track bank path, and the new Louis Favre Square will function as an encounter zone. In addition, the city of Zurich is planning to convert Zollstrasse into a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly street. Bicycle parking spaces are planned in the public space.
The general contractor is Porr Suisse AG. The Geneva-based architectural team Made in Sàrl is responsible for the architecture of the track arena, while Esch Sintzel Architekten from Zurich is responsible for the track dome.
The superstructure is being built in accordance with the DNGB Gold Standard of the Swiss Society for Sustainable Real Estate (SGNI).
