Sustainable beacon project in Zurich

Implenia is building the Andreasturm tower for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in Zurich-Oerlikon. The 21-storey building is a pilot project for our internal environmental concept for construction sites and is certified under the highest German sustainability standard: “DGNB Platinum”.

Since the completion of the shell at the start of 2018, the Andreasturm tower at Oerlikon station has provided a new gateway to the business world in northern Zurich. The striking steel, aluminium and glass structure provides around 20,000 square meters of office space, as well as plenty of room for retail, restaurants and cafés, and all with direct access to the rail platforms.

The 80-meter-high building is a genuine beacon project, not just because of its physical stature, but also because of its sustainability credentials: it is the first high-rise building in Switzerland to earn “DGNB Platinum” certification. This German labelling system, which has been adapted to Swiss conditions by the Swiss Sustainable Building Council, represents the highest standard for construction projects.

DGNB status is awarded after a comprehensive assessment of a building’s overall performance; it uses around 40 different criteria to measure environmental, financial, locational, social, cultural and technical aspects. One of the toughest tests comes when the planned target values are measured after the building is operational; if the targets aren’t met, the label will not be definitively awarded.

Implenia developed a new environmental concept at the start of 2016 to fulfil the DGNB standard. It is being used for the first time on the Andereasturm project, with a site manager in place to monitor its application. The concept, which includes separate modules for waste, water, noise, soil and air, provides managers with a tool to help them fulfil the norms and standards in these areas. A manual describes how environmental measures should be implemented in practice, and includes calculation tables, checklists and training material for employees.