Fischer Architekten AG

Competition 1st prize – The competition entry for the renovation of the HPM2 laboratory building of the ETH Hönggerberg attaches great importance to preserving the basic idea of the existing “Steiner façade”. The building’s consistent grid and the clear differentiation between servant and loadbearing parts allowed an excellent revitalisation. The spatial extension meets present-day needs.
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The HPM2 building is one of the molecular biology buildings designed by the famous architect Albert Heinrich Steiner at the end of the 1970s on the Hönggerberg Campus of the ETH Zurich. It is a laboratory building. The existing building structure has considerable structural and functional qualities. Alongside a complete renovation of the façade an extension was needed that would provide more space to meet current user requirements. The building circulation was also to be optimised.

The new facade plays with the existing proportions. The dimensioning of the profiles, the relationship between frame and infill, and the materials (dark and light-coloured aluminium) preserve the familiar external appearance. Further important elements of the renovation project include an additional storey containing laboratory units and an auditorium, as well as a new lift system, which is centrally positioned between the two parts of the building (HPM1 and HPM2), integrates the new functions, and optimises the circulation system.