The CreaTower I office high-rise (40 metres) is currently under construction in the Tech Cluster Zug. Together with the CreaTower II residential building placed on a large plinth, it forms a harmonious ensemble and creates a central square.
The ten-storey block is accessed via an arcade facing the public square. The new building has an almost square column grid with a off-centre, two-part core. The bays along the façades accommodate the workplaces in various arrangements, as well as the meeting rooms and the inset, two-storey terraces. The four interior bays adjacent to the core are a place of exchange and informal meetings, with helically ascending, two-storey atriums and open spiral staircases. It is this central void, with horizontal and vertical views and varying headroom, which connects the floors into a continuous, inspiring work landscape. At the same time, the sequence of these diverse spaces gives the users a sense of scale and intimacy. The terraces feature intensive planting and are arranged in staggered pairs that spatially connect three storeys. The entrance hall with the customer centre is located on the ground floor, while the top floor houses the communal areas with a patio as a spacious outdoor lounge.
The supporting structure is a prefabricated modular construction with columns, beams and five-part vaults. The latter are only subjected to compressive loads, utilise ribs and have correspondingly slender dimensions. These are RFS ceilings that were developed by the Block Research Group at ETH Zurich during the last decade. Using a 1:1 mock-up, the vault was tested for deformations, vibrations, structural and spatial acoustics, fire resistance, building services installations, manufacture and costs, thus demonstrating its feasibility. Compared to a conventional slab construction, the column, beam and vault structure has significantly less mass and saves around 50% CO2 emissions. As the ceiling bays can be easily opened or closed during the life cycle, the load-bearing system meets the client’s requirements for adaptability. The ribs trace the undersides of the vaults, frame the acoustic surfaces and create a striking ornamental pattern that characterises the appearance of the interior spaces. On the façades, the internal vaults can be made out by the curved lintels at the openings which define the external appearance of the building.
Lecture
by Philippe Block and Mike Guyer at «15. Schweizer Betonforum», 07.06.2023, ETH Zurich
«CreaTower I – RFS Decken» (PDF Download)
