HWW – for student accommodation of the future

The construction project, comprising one five-storey and one six-storey student accommodation building, was developed by the Real Estate Infrastructure Division for the Luzerner Pensionskasse.

The plans included 404 student rooms in the form of attractive one-bed studios and two- and six-bed shared residential units. In addition to the residential units, the buildings also house commercial spaces and workshops. The student rooms are approximately 20 m² and are rent out at around CHF 550.

The buildings was opend in autumn 2016. When fully occupied, HWW will enable some 400 students to live on the campus.

Space for encounters and an urban atmosphere

The social and intermediate spaces on the individual floors and the adjacent green areas offer plenty of opportunities for socialising. Serrated wooden façades provide for a measured, congenial ambiance. The building is certified to MINERGIE P-Eco standard. Thermal energy is sourced from the ETH Zurich energy network, and a photovoltaic system is installed on the roof.

Competition

In autumn 2012, Losinger Marazzi AG, in collaboration with MIBAG, LUPK and Stücheli Architekten AG, won ETH Zurich's turnkey tender for the HWW site, which included the architectural project and its construction, financing and operation.

Over the course of the two-stage tender process, the "livingscience" project won the support of the judging panel for its architecture and urban design, functionality and operation, and ecological and economic sustainability.