Genome researchers at the Irchel campus get a new laboratory
General contractor Implenia AG Switzerland and SAM Architects AG Zurich have won a competition organized by the Cantonal Building Construction Office in Zurich for a new university building project. Starting in May, you will be able to build a new laboratory building for the Functional Genomics Center Zurich on the Irchel campus.
The Functional Genomics Center Zurich (FGCZ) of the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) is getting a new building on the Irchel campus. The groundbreaking is in May. As general contractor, Implenia AG Switzerland and SAM Architects AG Zurich are responsible for the planning and implementation. With their project, they won a selection procedure from the cantonal building construction office in Zurich in March, according to a media release .
Accordingly, a new laboratory building of 1300 square meters is planned. This offers space for 20 different room types. This should accommodate high-tech devices that have different requirements in terms of room climate, temperature, power consumption and availability.
In addition to the laboratories, a new type of office concept is also being created, which offers different opportunities for community and privacy. This new working environment is intended to make work easier for genome researchers and external users, according to the press release. If everything goes according to plan, the 80 employees at the Functional Genomics Center Zurich could move in summer 2022.
The old building of the genome researchers on the Irchel campus is meanwhile being cleared for temporary use. From 2023, three secondary schools in the canton of Zurich are to move in there. After about ten years, the buildings are to be renovated and handed over again for university purposes.
Accordingly, the new laboratory building is a temporary solution. It consists of modules that can easily be dismantled and recycled. Because: After 15 years, the scientists should move back into their traditional building.