There is a new laboratory building for the ZHAW on the Reidbach campus in Wädenswil. The entire food value chain is researched here under one roof. Construction director Martin Neukom, education director Silvia Steiner as well as ZHAW rector Jean-Marc Piveteau and Heiner Treichler, CEO of Tuwag Immobilien AG, inaugurated the building.
When it comes to nutrition, health, society and the environment, the ZHAW’s “Life Sciences and Facility Management” department is one of Switzerland’s leading competence centers. This has led to strong growth in the number of students and employees at the Wädenswil locations in Grüental and Reidbach. This development will continue in the next few years.
The new “Elisabeth Weber-Hauser” laboratory building offers the long-term space needed. The new building will be used primarily by the Institute for Food and Beverage Innovation (ILGI). After moving in, its employees and students are no longer spread across various buildings, but are now united under one roof. In the future, food and beverages can be comprehensively viewed and processed here, from raw materials to processing through to quality management and marketing. So not only is research and teaching carried out, but also produced, analyzed, tasted and packaged.
Heating and cooling CO2-neutrally
The different uses placed high demands on the building, for example in the areas of hygiene and climatic conditions. It was possible to create a sustainable building that can also be flexibly adapted to new circumstances in the future. All energy used for heating and cooling is produced in a CO2-neutral manner. The laboratory building is connected to the wood chip district heating system on the site. The new building is complemented by recreational areas around the Reidbachweiher. The campus is also free of private traffic and is connected to each other via the so-called “campus terrace” along the SOB line.
The owner and investor in the basic development is Tuwag Immobilien AG, based in Wädenswil. The Canton of Zurich has rented the premises for 20 years. The cantonal council approved 48.2 million francs for tenant improvements and equipment. The new building sets another example for Zurich as a strong university and business location – also against the background of the shortage of skilled workers.
Successful businesswoman as namesake
The building is named after Elisabeth Weber-Hauser. As a businesswoman in the beer brewing industry in the 19th century, she achieved extraordinary things under difficult circumstances. After her husband’s death in 1885, she took over management of the brewery in Wädenswil and established herself as managing director.
Source: ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Sep 7, 2023
https://www.zhaw.ch/