Zölly High-rise Residential Building

The 77m high Zölly residential building in the trendy district of Zurich West is rising to new heights. Not only for what is considered a remarkable height for Swiss housing, but also in terms of ecology. The 23-storey tower is one of the first high-rise buildings in the country that has been fully certified with the MinEnergy Eco label (ZH-090-ECO).

The sandwich facade with the precast concrete elements is also future-oriented. The construction methods from the past are celebrating a comeback – on an entirely different level, though. In Zölly’s case the "plates" are individually shaped, three-dimensionally formed elements – demanding in their production and covered with pressure-resistant foam glass insulation.

Before hardening, foam glass is applied and at the same time, Schöck’s thermal anchor is introduced. This inconspicuous glass fiber rod is a spacer and tension rod, all in one. It secures the static link between facade element and the supporting structure.

The thermal anchor Schöck Isolink® reduces the heat loss in comparison to steel, to a negligible minimum. In addition, it not only meets the EN standards regarding fire protection, but also brings important timesavings through its simplified element assembly and improvements in the construction site logistics which rate special attention in tight space conditions. Only three technicians were required for the 23 floors. The glass fiber rod is permanently alkali resistant and electro-magnetically non-conductive. It meets the central concerns of those planners that pay special attention to using ecological and safe building materials.