Say hello to a top-quality sports and multifunctional hall

Since its opening, the Swiss Life Arena in the north-west of Zurich’s Altstetten district has been more than just a theatrical landmark on the outskirts of the city – it is also a top-quality sports and event hall. Even though it has only been open for a short while, the long-awaited home stadium of the ZSC Lions ice hockey club has already conquered the hearts of visitors, event organisers and a jury of experts, who recently voted it one of the best sports stadiums in Switzerland. The fanfare it has received is probably also due to the architecture, which was designed by the renowned London- and Zurich-based firm Caruso St John Architects. From the outside, the rectangular-shaped building which is tiered on two sides is clad in light-coloured concrete, the detailed structure of which resembles waves and the folds of a theatre curtain. The inside of the building features a modern arena with a technologically advanced look and feel, leaving space that is perfect for hosting sports and live events. The interior and exterior doors from Forster Profile Systems channel visitors through the development and meet all functional requirements in terms of heat and fire protection, perfectly supporting the creative building design.

All of this combined makes for a cauldron of emotion – and not just for ice hockey

The new Swiss Life Arena on the outskirts of Zurich spans a total length of 170 metres between a motorway and railway tracks south of the Limmat river. The colossus made of reinforced concrete is a further 110 metres in width and stretches 33 metres into the sky in the centre. The arena inside fits into this area and runs at a 90-degree angle to the long side of the building. A real cauldron of emotion, the arena can hold up to 12,000 spectators. The prestigious ice hockey and sports hall with its 30-metre-high, steep stand is flanked by restaurant options and a VIP area, a business centre with conference and seminar rooms as well as other sports and training areas. The south side of the building features a large roof terrace cut into the structure as an extensive arrival area with space for people to linger.

Light-coloured exposed-concrete theatre curtain

The most striking design element is the façade, which the architects have given the appearance of textile and a surface that resembles the folds in a curtain. The impressive south side as well as the north side facing the road are lit by staggered porthole windows which the draped façade cladding wraps around. Except for the arcades on the ground floor, the walls of the long sides of the building are solid, with deep wave and fine grooved structures. The outer shell made from exposed concrete with white cement aggregate is built on a load-bearing wall made from reinforced concrete. As a result, the light-coloured, artfully modelled exterior surface distracts from the immensity of the imposing structure. The interior is also dominated by (sometimes visible) load-bearing elements, rough materials and monumental wall reliefs.

In terms of its size and design, the building follows an economical and ecological approach. This also includes the planners’ decision to design the outer shell as a homogeneous, load-bearing cast-in-situ concrete wall with internal insulation. In addition to the energy-optimised construction, the economical and ecological approach also includes the use of environmentally friendly materials and a proportion of recycled concrete, efficient building technology and a CO2-free power supply via photovoltaic systems installed on the roof surface.

Hot-dip galvanised element finishes from Forster Profile Systems

Forster Profile Systems Ltd was involved in the planning of the building from an early stage. Together with the Forster licence partners performing the work – the metal construction companies Schneebeli Metallbau AG and Enderli Metallbau AG – the company contributed a total of 140 element finishes to the structure. The external doors are designed in the forster unico HI system and help in achieving the energy efficiency targets for the Minergie-certified building with their outstanding heat and fire protection properties. Some of the doors and internal fixed glazing conform to the El30 fire protection class and are from the forster unico systems. The hot-dip galvanised profile surface treatment requested by Caruso St John Architects contributes to the successful design concept for all the elements used. In order to finish the surfaces of the elements with the forster unico EI30 hot-dip galvanised system and to install the insulation for fire protection, project-specific planning and production methods (production management) were used.

Zurich, Switzerland

Products:

forster unico, unico HI and unico EI30

Architecture: Caruso St John Architects, Zurich (CH) / London (GB)

Metal construction: Schneebeli Metallbau AG, Dietlikon (CH), Enderli Metallbau AG, Kloten (CH)

Client: ZSC Arena Immobilien AG, Zurich (CH); with the involvement of the City and Canton of Zurich (CH)

Photography: R&D Dürr