Arch_Tec_Lab, ETH Zurich

The ETH Zurich is one of the most renowned universities of Europe and the World. Its faculties are spread over two locations, one being in the centre of Zurich and one in the outskirts of the city, at Hönggerberg.

The Architecture Department in Hönggerberg undertook a construction project at their own campus, the so-called Arch_Tec_Lab, which was opened in 2016. This building offers environments for teaching, research and the use of robotics, while it also is a showpiece for innovative and environmentally conscious construction. It is a zero-emission construction with an undulating wooden roof structure that was produced as an oversized 3D print and solely with robotics, which was also an in-house project of the ETH.

The main endeavour of the Arch_Tec_Lab´s concept was to bring as much natural light into the interior as possible, which required maximum transparency. In order to achieve this, a combination of a fully glazed facade construction and glass partitions in the interior was implemented. As to the glass partitions, the system Lindner Life Pure 620 was chosen thanks to its studless construction and the level of transparency it yields. The partitions have been installed by order of HRS Real Estate AG and in various applications, such as in a room-in-room system type Lindner Cube or as a standard partition. In order to protect the environment´s acoustics from reverberant influences of the glazed areas, the Cubes have been partly fitted with mirco-perforated metal wall elements. A challenge in construction arose with the ceiling and floor connections of the partitions, as the underfloor heating system restricted drilling depths while countless cables and steel beams required custom fittings on the ceilings.