SAM Architekten

Description

A temporary laboratory on a heritage-protected campus: the building for the Functional Genomics Center Zurich (FGCZ) on the Irchel campus was designed for a service life of 15 years. The existing buildings by Max Ziegler are listed in the municipal heritage inventory and in the Swiss Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS). The brief posed a dual challenge: to respect the existing built fabric while developing a structure designed entirely for dismantling and reuse. The architectural expression of the temporary building emerged from a close analysis of the existing campus. The new façades adopt the proportions, the rhythmic projections and setbacks, and the parapet elements of the original buildings. Horizontal zigzag sheets of folded aluminium recall the balcony areas of the campus. The raw, untreated surface reflects the built and natural surroundings, integrating the new structure into the existing ensemble. The intervention in the ground was kept to a minimum. The structural system combines precast spun-concrete columns with timber-concrete hybrid slabs. All load-bearing components and partitions can be easily dismantled, sorted and reused. Materials were kept in their pure form and installed for ease of future recovery.