PORR SUISSE has reached the first construction milestone of Franklinturm in Zurich, Switzerland, with the completion of the excavation pit for the underground storeys.
SBB Immobilien awarded PORR the design-build contract worth €75m ($89.8m) for an office building with a height of 80m. The project will be completed by the end of 2022.
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Armon Semadeni was selected as the architect following a multi-stage bidding process.
The 21-storey Franklinturm building will be located south of the railway station on the site on Hofwiesenstraße.
Once completed, the building will blend into the skyline of the modern service centre with other high-rise buildings, including the Swissôtel, Neumarkt and Andreasturm.
For the project, the use of space was carefully considered. In addition, the project’s energy efficiency standards achieve the label ‘DGNB Platin’ by the Swiss Sustainable Building Council.
PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss said: “Completion of the excavation works marks an important milestone both for this striking building construction project and for this up-and-coming area in the north of Zurich.
“Franklinturm is a beacon project with optimal links that will offer future tenants the brightest prospects for their business.”
Construction of the building commenced 11 months ago and is scheduled to conclude in the following three years.
Due to the close proximity to the SBB railway tracks and restricted space inside the pit, heavy-duty cranes were located outside the pit to place and move the construction machinery.
