“We are not going to have to wait decades for this to become a new standard in the way that we build,” explained Dr. Andrea Frangi professor of Structural Engineering at ETH Zurich, during a panel discussion on the High-Rise H1 Zwhatt residential tower - a new hybrid concrete-timber structure, close to completion on the city’s outskirts. The project has been designed by Roger Boltshauser of Boltshauser Architekten, using materials from innovative timber construction company Erne, and funded by real estate developer Pensimo, which was represented by portfolio manager Ana Alberati.

Frangi added that this type of construction removes the need for large reinforced concrete slabs, explaining how a carbon-saving solution was devised via collaboration between himself and innovative timber construction providers Erne.

Collaboration at the heart of innovation

All four took to the stage to bring to life the story of this unique project’s construction complexities as well as its benefits to the environment, made possible by the significant amount of timber that has replaced conventional reinforced elements used in traditional buildings to reduce the embodied carbon.

“This can currently only be built in Switzerland,” added Frangi, noting how the Alpine nation’s research culture, policies, expertise and financing conditions enabled an ambitious vision for tall-timber-hybrid-construction to be realized.

This, the panel agreed, should be treated as a benchmark for climate-conscious developers the world over, with regulators and governments looking to the culture of construction in Switzerland for solutions when it comes to alleviating roadblocks in getting more sustainable projects built.

Influencing sustainable construction on a broader scale

The lighthouse project was one of 20 Holcim Foundation Awards prize winners in 2023. The project will accommodate 2,000 residents in flexible modular apartments, and was praised by an independent expert jury for its purposeful interaction with its urban surroundings. The sophisticated design has the potential to influence sustainable architecture practices on a broader scale.

As Zwhatt H1’s completion next year draws closer, interest has spiked, with Alberati the financier of the lofty 75-meter-tall structure, noting how the site has quickly become a haven for visitors wanting to learn more about how we can build better moving forward.

“We have visitors from all around the world coming to our site to see this development,” she said, praising the long-term sustainable thinking behind the project, which, once its lifetime has passed, can be disassembled, with many of its materials re-used.