Zurich: Starting signal for building construction work on the Franklinturm

After approximately eleven months of construction, civil engineering work on the Franklinturm was completed on schedule. The 21-story, 80-meter-high building, a project by SBB Immobilien, will be located south of Oerlikon station on the Hofwiesenstrasse site. The building is being constructed according to plans by architect Armon Semadeni, whose concept emerged as the winner in a multi-stage selection process. After completion, the Franklinturm will form the skyline of the modern service center together with the neighboring high-rise buildings Swissôtel, Neumarkt and Andreasturm.

The civil engineering work was technically demanding, according to Porr Suisse AG, the total contractor commissioned by SBB Immobilien. Because the excavation pit is located in the immediate vicinity of the SBB tracks, the work had to be carried out with particularly high precision. Another challenge was the very limited space available in the pit, which meant that positioning and repositioning of the construction machinery regularly had to be carried out with heavy-duty cranes outside the pit.

According to Porr, the contract value is around CHF 80 million. "The completion of the civil engineering work sets an important milestone for the imposing building construction project and the up-and-coming site in the north of Zurich," says Karl-Heinz Strauss, CEO of Porr. He adds that the building is also convincing in terms of economic efficiency - among other things due to the well thought-out use of space and its energy efficiency in accordance with the DGNB Platinum label of the Swiss Sustainable Building Council (SGNI). (bw)