Roof 118 metres (387 ft) Height 118 m | Completed April 2016 Opened April 2016 Construction started May 2013 | |
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Architect Miriam Vázquez, Studio Forma, Zürich | ||
Swissmill tower zurich
The Swissmill Tower, also named Kornhaus in an earlier stage of planning, is a high-rise building in Zürich-Hard. Reaching a height of 118 metres (387 ft), it is the second highest building in the Swiss town of Zürich. Although the building is very disputed because of its height and location, it is claimed to be the highest grain elevator all over the world.
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Sageglass swissmill tower dynamic glass installation
History and brief description
The building is situated in the upper Limmat Valley in Zürich, near the Migros tower building at the Limmatplatz plaza. It replaces a grain elevator that has been rebuilt respectively raised. The first mill (Kornhaus) at the same location was built in 1843. The site at the Limmat demanded piles basing up to a depth of 45 metres (148 ft) in the bedrock of the Limmat Valley. The increase of the former building by 118 metres (387 ft) was done by slipforming by up to 60 construction workers who processed concrete in three shifts around the clock. The construction was divided into two stages; the first construction phase was completed in early July 2015, the second began on 21 September 2015. The construction phase ended in April 2016.
In fact, the silo and mill operation was maintained while the construction works were carried out. Swissmill is the largest mill in Switzerland that operates 800 tons of grain daily. This represents 30% of the Swiss national grain requirements. Its meal is prepared for all bread products produced by the Swiss retailer Coop, Volg and Landis. Although the silo's exterior and height is disputed, the municipal authorities claim that the silo is intentionally designed in its aesthetically conscious way. Its external appearance is intended to express its interior – an industrial plant.
As of Juli 2016, once more local Zürich politicians demand to green the tower's exterior vertically, to revalue its facade creatively. Architect Miriam Vázquez made this suggestion during the planning phase, but it would be unaffordable, according to her calculations, about 2,000 to 4,000 Swiss Francs per square meter.