HWO – for homes of the future

The HWO complex was constructed on the south-western edge of the Hönggerberg university campus. Comprising three new buildings, the HWO project has been developed by the Real Estate Infrastructure Division of Swiss Life AG.

More than 490 residential units

Approximately 490 in number, the residential units are a mix of shared apartments and individual studios. An inner courtyard garden and a variety of community spaces ensure a high quality of living with the opportunity for social interaction.

The residential project is complemented on the ground floor by study workspaces and an ETH Zurich crèche, while the basement is housing the ETH Zurich archive on the history and theory of architecture.

A welcoming atmosphere

Visual interconnections between the three buildings create a series of diverse spatial sequences, offering a stimulating, interchangeable space with a welcoming atmosphere that encourages residents to linger, communicate and explore.

Using geothermal energy

In the ground beneath the HWO buildings, ETH develop a geothermal probe field with 200 probes going down to 200 metres. This geothermal reservoir forms part of ETH Zurich's holistic energy concept (up to 500 geothermal probes) for Hönggerberg.  

The buildings was opend in autumn 2016. When fully occupied, the HWO will enable some 500 students to live on the campus.