Renovation of the SBB repair hall in Zurich-Altstetten
The SBB repair centre in Zurich-Altstetten was commissioned as a main SBB workshop from 1905 to 1911. Today, it is used to maintain and repair railway carriages, but the historic structures no longer meet the relevant requirements. The heart of the centre – a repair hall 130 metres in length – has now been renovated and equipped for the energy needs of the future, in accordance with its listed building status and operational requirements.
Expertise involved
Building physics , Railway technology , Building services , Roads and highways , Process and environmental engineeringClient
SBB
Keeping the character
In terms of its external appearance, the typical industrial architecture from the period in which unrendered masonry was first used has been either maintained – as on the north facade – or replaced by a new interpretation with a back-ventilated clinker brick facade. Inside, a new discreet steel structure was installed for the crane runways and to provide the necessary seismic safety. The historic structure with its characteristic steel rivets is visually highlighted with an appropriate colour scheme. Not visible, however, are the numerous technical changes made to the facilities available at the workstations and to the building services.
Challenging coordination
Work on an industrial building such as the SBB workshops calls for collaboration between various disciplines, ranging from site contamination, railway technology and structural engineering to service piping. Basler & Hofmann provided expertise from a wide range of specialisations, and took on the challenging task of overall management in collaboration with architect Rolf Läuppi.
Our services
Interdisciplinary engineering services including site management in cooperation with architect Rolf Läuppi.
