Service Facilities of the SBB in Zurich
- Eva Schönbrunner
Ever increasing train lengths accompanied by growing numbers of passengers prompted the federal Swiss railroad to erect a new 400 metre long service facility. Because the siting was determined by an existing facility, and the loadbearing structure of the hall is solely the product of engineering, the architects focused on the design of the curtain-wall facade cloaking the south elevation. Despite a tight budget they achieved an expressive 3D effect that is perceptible from a considerable distance. The prefabricated modules are 5 m long and weigh 500 kg: they are made of glass-fibre-reinforced fine concrete. To allow fire trucks to pass, the cambering of the modules decreases from the top to the bottom of the facade.
