Sports Centre Oerlikon: Fanzun takes on Construction Management and Fire Protection Planning

A place where swimming, ice skating and turf sports come together is taking shape in northern Zurich. The current Oerlikon indoor pool, the artificial ice rink and the Neudorf turf sports facility are reaching their limits: the population is growing, and more and more people play sport. The replacement building brings water, ice and turf sports under one roof and expands the sports area by 76 per cent, even though only a little additional land is built on.

Water, Ice and Turf in One Place

The new main building offers around 60 per cent more water surface. Clubs train in the competition-standard 50-metre pool, families play in the leisure and children’s pools, and two teaching pools serve school swimming. A diving tower and a summer pool round off the offer. In addition, there are two ice rinks that are open all year, a public catering offer and the depot of Grün Stadt Zürich.

A turf sports pitch sits on the roof of the main building. In total, seven pitches will be available: three north and four south of Wallisellenstrasse. The new changing-room building will also be built south of the street.

Heat in a Circuit

The approach to energy is special. Amstein + Walthert AG and Coex Kälteplanung AG have developed a concept in which heat circulates in a largely closed loop and is reused several times within the building. The sports centre uses the waste heat from ice production for this. The combination of a swimming pool and an ice rink creates ideal conditions. The energy storage towers shape the façade and retain surplus heat for later use. In this way, they balance fluctuations between supply and demand. At the same time, they carry the building and serve as escape routes. In summer, when no waste heat is produced, the chiller works as a heat pump and refills the storage units with electricity from the photovoltaic system on the roofs of the main and changing-room buildings. Calculations show that this can cover the entire heat demand and that the centre can run self-sufficiently in terms of heat.

Building While Operations Continue

The project is being built in stages and while the facilities remain in operation. The indoor pool and the artificial ice rink stay in use until the respective construction stages are complete. Only then will they be demolished. Construction runs from 2027 to 2036. This requires a carefully planned construction sequence, well-thought-out logistics and close coordination between all parties. Here, we contribute our experience from complex projects in existing buildings and during operation. We carry out the construction management together with HSSP AG, which takes on overall project management. For fire protection, we develop the safety concept from the start, including for the individual construction phases during operation. The architecture is by Boltshauser Architekten AG.

We thank the Amt für Hochbauten (Building Construction Department) for its trust and look forward to working with HSSP AG and Boltshauser Architekten AG.