A Zurich-based monument, which interferes with

It sounds like Seldwyla, but it is a story from Zürich: Since the Powerful want to build a complete city district, but because in the midst of the land a sacred cow is, you need to plan everything with great effort around it. Complicated, year-long work. Then, at the end, ask the Locals for their opinion – and the unmoved explain: "The trouble I could have saved you, this is a normal cow."

This is the core of what will play out on Wednesday of next week in the Zurich municipal Council, if decided, the building and zoning regulations (BZO) for the new high school district. For this multi-billion project in the heart of Zurich, the Canton, the city, ETH, University and University hospital for 15 years, employs. The sacred cow in question is the old hospital building from the forty years, a work of architecture sizes Haefeli Moser Steiger (HMS).

building off a portion of the hospital Park

The building is a protected monument, and so far, it was said: He must stay, also if strobe remains no stone on the other. Now the preparatory Committee of the municipal Council is but recently come to a very different conclusion, unanimously. You will not find, the city Council should ask the cantonal government, "to have the definitive protection of the HMS-construction". From left to right, is of the view that the outdated hospital building is of a reasonable development of the district in the way of that.

The municipal Council is not listening to the Keeper Armada, but the arguments of those critics follow, which were disturbed from the beginning to the preservation of the old building. First of all, this valuable space in the centre occupied to be pressed, whereby the planned new buildings for the University hospital up the slope, where they protrude higher into the sky than necessary. (Even if the originally proposed maximum heights have been reduced to 9 metres, and the first concrete project in the January presents, even 13-Meter is.) Secondly, the old seal off a portion of the hospital Park, which will become the green heart of the converted district.

Three design plans have been cancelled

the word of The Council more weight than many initially believed. The cantonal building Department, in the University district sets the tone, was long of the opinion that their own plans merely on the municipal level is still to be traced. A formality quasi, at the very end, if there is to decide, in Essence, nothing more. But then an unexpected judgment of the Zurich building course court turned this view on its head. The judges were called at the beginning of 2018, a rejection of high-school quarters-critics and decided that it need first of as building the basis of a municipal PFO – only after that the Canton could pretend to with his design plans, the framework for the architecture projects. Three of the building Department already determined the design plans were repealed.

This increased the interest in the work of the parish Council's Commission. This has taken its task according to several members very seriously, even if your room was due to the higher-level spatial planning is relatively limited. The Canton, you will be relieved that the Commission is now, in principle, agree to bring the BZO with the court collected plans in accordance. But the different attitude to the HMS construction would have to think but give.

Already, the competent Commission of the cantonal Parliament pleaded two years ago in the treatment of the indicative plan, unanimously voted to pull a demolition of the protected building, "at least consider". The Director of planning Markus Kägi rejected at the time, gratefully. "We want to not trigger a long-term process with an uncertain outcome," he said, "but eventually, with Build to begin." So the question is: can Kägis successor for a second Time, a unanimous vote of the representatives of the people, ignoring, this time formulated even sharper? And what the Alternative would be?

From a pragmatic calculus for the HMS-Bau

The municipal Commission has given the impression to think that you received in numerous conversations, that the hospital for the untimely space-to-date in the old building, only during the reconstruction used for the same purpose. So something nobody needs. How Kägi, the hospital representatives were always just out of pragmatic calculations for the HMS-Bau. They are afraid of a year-long legal dispute with the home protection, for the this work is sacrosanct. And the fear of losing such a dispute, because several of the expert reports would have confirmed the protection of this right. Time for the University hospital according to hospital President Martin Waser, because the infrastructure is so old that the operation would be endangered.

The worst fears have

seen in perspective, Even if the file HMS would now open once again, to the plans for the first fall do not Build any more be shaken in the higher education field, the challenge will not be made in respect of the rebellious Commune and municipality councils. Especially as the worst fears with regard to the specific projects of the architecture office Herzog & de Meuron, and Christ & Gantenbein have put in perspective, which has presented the building Department in January, despite the ongoing process. Also the more drawn-out dispute to the relevant design plans is hardly affected. It could argue that the entire planning is based on a premise that is contrary to the will of the municipal Council. But as long as this brings the BZO formally with the design plans in line, is the main conflict. The vote for the HMS-Bau is likely to change that.

The municipal Council is reported to have also something else: the second half of the big tag in the high school district. In the euphoria of the first architectural projects, it should not be forgotten that only three have been determined by a total of six design plans. The following Stages of the Unispitals were under a waiver of the HMS-Bau may still revise down the valley back. It may be time, enough for the entire planning horizon through the year 2035. (Tages-Anzeiger)

Created: 06.05.2019, 07:15 PM