Engineering skills for sustainable timber construction

The "Baumgarten" residential development is on the home straight and the first residents have already moved in. What at first glance appears to be a development that blends harmoniously into the village landscape is full of engineering skill and timber construction expertise.

51 apartments, four buildings, one convincing material: wood. For the new "Baumgarten" residential development in Zumikon near Zurich, the Implenia Holzbau part of the Buildings Division, has shown what modern multi-storey timber construction can achieve: Exterior wall elements, interior and partition walls – all prefabricated at the factory in Rümlang and precisely assembled on site together with the cross-laminated timber floor slabs.

"This method saves time, reduces errors and delivers a quality that you can see and feel," explains construction manager Stefan Zahnd. "The rear-ventilated timber façade is the architectural highlight – from the substructure to the façade formwork, everything from a single source."

And the challenges? There were some. Multi-storey timber construction means: close interfaces with the solid construction, high requirements for fire, sound and airtightness – and all this in a tight logistics area in the middle of the district. Stefan Zahnd: "With foresighted work planning, clean work preparation and a well-coordinated team, we have mastered exactly that."

The result is a building that GEAK for overall energy efficiency, which focuses on sustainability and living comfort for the residents.

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