State Councilor Proposes 112 Million for UZH's Relocation Project on the Irchel

(CONNECT) The Government Council of the Canton of Zurich has approved a project loan of 112 million Swiss francs as new expenditures for the planned Portal UZH building on the University of Zurich’s (UZH) Irchel Campus, to be submitted to the Cantonal Council. According to a press release, the total cost of the project is estimated at 655 million Swiss francs. Of that amount, 543 million Swiss francs are classified as committed expenditures. 

The new building is scheduled to be ready for occupancy in 2035 and will provide the conditions necessary to renovate numerous buildings on the Irchel Campus, as well as the technical infrastructure, in phases without significantly disrupting the university’s operations. The campus currently has approximately 8,600 students enrolled in science and medical programmes. In addition, more than 3,000 employees work there. 

The UZH campus consists of a six-story main building with lecture halls, seminar rooms, and teaching and study spaces, as well as a five-story laboratory wing with laboratories, offices, and common areas. The basements will house technical and logistical facilities for the entire campus. 

The wood-concrete hybrid building is designed to meet the Minergie-P-ECO standard and aims to achieve Gold certification from the Swiss Society for Sustainable Real Estate (SGNI). The cooling system will include, among other things, nighttime cooling and geothermal probes. In addition, photovoltaic systems are being installed on roofs and facades. 

In the long term, the UZH portal is intended to help bring activities that have been relocated back to the Irchel campus. ce/as