Renovation of main building garage/forecourt – for improved accessibility and more flexible use
Since summer 2021, the forecourt of the main building and its underground garage are getting renovated. The project will take about a year to complete. This will improve navigation inside the garage, ensure barrier-free access, upgrade the building to meet current standards and make the forecourt more versatile.
Forecourt restoration and improvements
The forecourt of the main building, which is also the top of the parking garage, will be restored as part of the renovation work and upgraded so that it can be used more flexibly and has barrier-free access. The height difference between the forecourt and the entrance to the main building will be levelled and a barrier-free connection between Rämistrasse and the forecourt created. The overall look will change only slightly: the square and materials will remain the same, but the natural stone will be laid in a radial instead of orthogonal formation. The removal of the stone beds will give the forecourt a more spacious feel.
The hedges that bordered the forecourt were moved to Villa Hatt before construction began to preserve them. After the renovation, the hedges around the forecourt will be replanted.
The forecourt in images
(Visualisation: ETH Zurich / Hager Partner AG) The forecourt of the main building is also the ceiling of the parking garage below, which was also renovated. (Photo: ETH Zurich / Romana Mayer) The parking garage was adapted to current standards, equipped with electric charging stations and the orientation and traffic routing improved. (Photo: ETH Zurich)
Renovation of the underground garage
The 166 current, rather tight parking spaces will be converted into 106 spaces, 16 of which will have electric charging stations. The renovated garage will also offer 100 bicycle spaces,16 motorcycle spaces and four parking spaces for people with reduced mobility, two of which will have electric charging stations. The D floor will also be connected to the main building.
The new configuration of the parking spaces and walls will help optimise traffic management and improve navigation in the garage. This will also be supported by new lighting.
The garage was reopened at the beginning of November 2022.
Artwork by Harald Naegeli
The underground garage has 37 artworks by Harald Naegeli, which is the largest set in a public space in Zurich. ETH Zurich’s Art in Construction Commission is aware of the artistic significance of the positioning of these works and believes it is important to preserve as many of the artist’s spray-paint figures as possible. For this reason, the commission has decided to preserve all the works on the remaining walls. These 22 pieces make up the majority of the works in the underground garage. The majority of the works on a wall to be demolished disappear in consultation with the artist, but they are comprehensively documented - three of them are removed using a special restoration process, and inventoried and included in the "Holdings of ETH Zurich Building Culture".
