New Alterszentrum Trotte, Zurich | Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure

The new Trotte nursing center building in Wipkingen Zurich with three basements, a ground floor, six upper floors and a top floor replaces a previous building built in 1960.

The construction comprises 85 single rooms and 4 two-room apartments, common rooms, a large kitchen and a dining-room with an open-air terrace and is focused on the needs of the future residents. From the 1st upper floor upwards and alternating over two floors, the living floors have to a large extent identical floor plans, whereas the other floors are different. The layout of the rooms towards the east and the west, together with the folded main façade allow every resident to enjoy a wide view over the city.

The building with its unique butterfly-shaped floor plan has been differentially modeled on the basis of the urban position, the basic building law conditions and moderate consideration of the surrounding houses.

The support structure is basically designed as a massive construction with supporting walls and cast-in-place concrete ceilings, although the majority of the internal walls comprise a non load-bearing light construction, in order to provide the highest possible utilization flexibility. Due to the height of the building and the floor plan changes on each floor, most of the supporting walls and the façade are concreted and constructed as wall panels. This means that for a minimal construction height particularly in the entrance area and in the public zones, generous spaces are made possible without supports. In the access zones and the public rooms in the 1st basement, the undersides of the ceilings and the wall surfaces are designed as face concrete.