City of Dietikon approves credit of 83 million Swiss francs for school renovations
The Dietikon municipal council has approved a loan of over 83 million Swiss francs for the renovation and expansion of the Wolfsmatt school complex. The project is to be put to a referendum in September 2023. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024.
At its meeting on 4 May, Dietikon ‘s parliament approved a construction loan of CHF 83,372,746 for the Wolfsmatt school building. This means that the renovation and expansion of the aging building can begin next year, according to a media release. The prerequisite is that the voters of Dietikon also approve the project in September.
The building was constructed in 1962 as a typical pavilion school of the 1950s and 1960s and is now in serious need of renovation. The listed building neither meets the legal requirements nor the demands of modern teaching or the increased number of pupils. Therefore, it is to be renovated and extended by two primary classes, group, after-school and multi-purpose rooms as well as a gymnasium. The existing buildings are to be ready for occupancy in 2028.
The corresponding plans were drawn up by a general planning team under the leadership of the Zurich architectural firm Bünzli Courvoisier. They won the city’s project competition four years ago from a total of 59 submissions. The winning project, called Im Grünen, “occupies a top position among the competition entries from both an economic and an ecological point of view,” according to a media release. The new buildings will be certified according to the Minergie-ECO standard. In terms of construction costs, it was among the most favourable.
Im Grünen retains the basic idea of a pavilion school. The cohesive overall architectural effect remains. Extension buildings complement the existing ensemble in a southerly direction. Parallel to the Vogelaustrasse, the new buildings will form a new second entrance to the school complex. The limited existing open space will be preserved.