Main building forecourt and garage to become more open and barrier-free

Those who have recently been at the site will have already noticed some changes in front of the main building and, upon closer inspection, seen that the greenery around the forecourt is gone. This is part of the preparations for the forecourt construction project that will begin in June. To protect and preserve the hedges, they have been replanted near Villa-Hatt. New hedges will be planted once the renovation project is complete.

From late June to early August 2021 the current forecourt will be stripped down and then rebuilt from August 2021 to September 2022. Completing the project in phases will ensure that the main building remains accessible from Rämistrasse throughout. The main part of the construction site will be located on the Karl-Schmid-Strasse side. Once the reconstruction project is complete, ETH will have a more open ground-level forecourt that can used for a variety of events and occasions. Removing the two stone beds at the centre of the square as well as the stairs on the Rämistrasse side will enlarge the forecourt overall. The increased load capacity will also make it possible to do away with some of the current usage restrictions.

The garage underneath it will also be upgraded: in addition to extra parking spaces for bikes and charging stations for electric cars, traffic management and navigation in the garage will be improved.

Adjustments during the renovation period

One restriction caused by the renovation project will be the unavailability of parking spaces in the garage – which will remain closed for one year. Delivery through the garage will still be possible at all times, however. There are parking spaces available in the nearby garages for ETH members as well as visitors.

Furthermore, the PubliBike station will not be available during the renovation work. As a replacement location, a station will be set up on Leonhardstrasse in front of the LEE building. In addition, the station on Karl-Schmid-Strasse will be enlarged.

For questions about the parking situation and other mobility topics, ETH Zurich’s Traffic Management office will be happy to assist you.

Construction always creates noise as well. The noisiest phase will be from June to August 2021, when the demolition takes place. The project was deliberately planned to avoid any especially noisy work during the examination period.

Long-term renovation requirements for the main building

The renovation of the underground garage and forecourt is part of the overall renovation of the main building. Based on an analysis of the historical building stock, various areas of construction activity were defined for the main building over the next two decades. These include upgrading the windows, which will involve replacing some of them (2023–2024), and restoring the historic Semper Aula (approx. 2022–2024).