2,700 people are expected to work in the building for the major bank. Opponents see the new building as primarily causing environmental pollution.
The SP praised the use of wood and concrete in the planned UBS high-rise in Zurich Altstetten.
The most important thing in brief
- UBS wants to expand its location in Altstetten with a high-rise building. To make room for this, the major bank would like to have an existing office complex completely demolished. She has drawn up a corresponding design plan.
- The Young Greens have held a referendum against the private design plan. From their point of view, the construction work causes too many CO2 emissions. You do not want to grant UBS a building permit that goes beyond what is provided for in the general building and zoning regulations.
What is it about?
The historic center of Swiss banking is located on Zurich’s Paradeplatz. But the space between the main train station and the lake has long since become too small for the tens of thousands of employees of the big banks – and too expensive as a location for office space even for financial institutions. That’s why Credit Suisse once rented space in the Üetlihof and in Oerlikon. UBS, to which Credit Suisse now belongs, has been relying on the Altstetten location for years.
The bank already has three buildings on Max-Högger-Strasse north of Altstetten train station. And UBS now wants to expand there. The existing complex on the VZA1 site, which is just a few meters next to the tracks, is to be demolished. A 108 meter high replacement building is to be built on the vacant space.
The visualizations show a delicate structure in a green environment. These plans were designed by the architects led by the Japanese Kengo Kuma and the Swiss office Itten + Brechbühl. Kengo Kuma achieved success in this country with a daring commercial building Graubünden health resort Vals some notoriety.
Instead of the current 750, UBS would be able to offer jobs to 2,700 people – in the planned replacement building alone. A publicly accessible roof terrace is planned on the roof of the building. On the ground floor there is space for dining options, shops or a crèche. A footpath between the new building and the railway tracks is intended to ensure that the area fits seamlessly into its surroundings.
But the plan goes too far for the Young Greens. They collected 2,179 valid signatures, which led to a popular referendum against the private design plan. Now voters in the city of Zurich have to decide on UBS’s construction project on November 24th.
The Arguments of the Referendum Committees
There were already objections to the size of the project during the debate in the local council last spring. The Green Party representative Brigitte Fürer, a spatial planner by profession, criticized the fact that the private design plan for the UBS property envisages an utilization rate of 750 percent. According to the zoning regulations, only 350 percent would be permitted. In addition, the tower is almost 30 meters higher than planned in the area around Altstetten train station. Fürer therefore spoke disparagingly of “spectacular architecture”.
She also criticized the fact that the planned open spaces were too small for the general public and that there was not enough space left for really meaningful greening of the area. That’s why the design plan is a “bad deal” for the city, which her party rejects.
However, the Greens on the local council were largely alone in their rejection. Only the AL saw things like the Greens. The local council approved the design plan with 87 votes to 24.
The Young Greens did not want to let this stand and mobilized the population.
They and the signatories of the referendum are bothered by the fact that no apartments are planned on the site despite the tense situation on the housing market.
The Young Greens also criticize the poor ecological balance that new buildings in general and high-rise buildings in particular have. In their view, the deep foundation and the complex supporting structures consume too many resources for a new building to be environmentally friendly.
The arguments of the proponents
Marco Denoth from the SP, on the other hand, praised the “contribution to CO2 neutrality” that the tower makes with its construction made of wood and concrete during the debate in the local council. Public use will be implemented on the ground floor and on the roof terrace, which is why there is nothing wrong with that. Residential use is not permitted, says Denoth. This would have required a rezoning.
For Nicolas Cavalli from GLP it was even clear that “every now and then” a major project from a major bank “is needed”. His party supports UBS’s intention to densify the area and also praised the fact that the project is aligned with the goals of the 2000-watt society. It makes sense for UBS to invest in a location that is well connected to the public transport network.
For the SVP, it is now a fundamental question: Should the important financial sector remain in Zurich or move abroad? From the party’s perspective, there is no question that more attractive jobs for UBS people would ultimately benefit everyone. That’s why she supports the design plan.
The slogans of the parties
The position of the NZZ
The NZZ recommends putting a yes to UBS’s design plan in the ballot box.
The opponents’ demand to forego the construction of additional offices in order to relieve the pressure on the housing market is unnecessary coercion and has no basis whatsoever. As the owner, UBS is free to decide how it wants to use the property. In addition, the intended use corresponds to the zoning.
There are already enough examples in Zurich of what happens when politicians try to impose their will on landowners. The only thing that this achieves is that building in the city becomes even less attractive.
At 108 meters, the planned wooden high-rise would be the tallest of its kind in the world and would add a welcome accent to the area along the railway tracks, which is otherwise heavily characterized by concrete buildings
