The rapid evolution of this district in northern Zurich is reflected by the many cranes moving back and forth. No longer industrial and commercial, now it is a vibrant area with everything that modern life and work demand. The most recent addition to this development is the WolkenWerk, a joint project between Staufer & Hasler Architekten and von Ballmoos Partner Architekten. The new complex comprises three residential towers with 19 to 22 overground storeys and podium buildings with up to four storeys. It was completed in 2020 and gradually handed over to its residents and users. The construction of a fourth high-rise, the ‘Messeturm’, is expected to be completed by 2024.

A blend of typologies and uses
The complex is made up of 314 owner-occupied apartments, all of different sizes and typologies. There are terrace-like residential units in the podium buildings, family apartments in the lower part of the buildings and maisonette apartments on the upper floors. The podium buildings also house commercial spaces with workshops, studios, bars and shops. The ‘Inner Garden’, a network of public green zones embedded within the complex, is another key component of the new quarter by the Leutschenbach river. It dovetails with the alleys between the blocks. Its key features are the various lush, climate-resistant plants, the non-linear paths and the nuanced use of floor coverings. Architect Martina Voser has used these features to create various zones and vistas.

Ordered framework, different facades
From the outside, the complex’s solid structure is apparent from its mounted concrete framework and slender vertical facade elements. In the podium buildings, the concrete framing elements pay tribute to the area’s industrial past and are partly filled in with clinker brickwork. The residential towers are grids that alternate open spaces – corner balconies, recessed balconies – with windows and dark tiled clinker filling. This is enhanced by the interplay of individually coloured awnings. Alongside the ordered concrete structure, they are the external feature that stands out the most. Around 1300 yellow and red Warema front-mounted awnings with non-flammable SecuTex A2 fabric protect the residential units in the towers from overheating. In accordance with the VKF fire protection regulations applicable throughout Switzerland, non-flammable awning fabrics were required because the buildings are over 30 metres high.
The aluminium-vapour-coated side of the SecuTex reflects heat radiation and helps to keep the warmth inside in winter. The fabric structure is sufficiently transparent to provide a view of the outside. The sun shading ensures thermal comfort for users all year round; it helps stop the sunlight from heating the building in the summer and keeps the warmth inside in the winter. Sattler Twilight fabric was selected for the more than 700 Warema window awnings in the podium buildings. The architects also added around 300 articulated arm awnings with this fabric to the podium buildings and in front of the recessed balconies in the tower storeys. The Messeturm will also be fitted with Warema awnings and the Twilight and SecuTex fabrics.

Wind stability with easyZIP
easyZIP technology keeps the window awnings safe even in strong winds. The fabric runs smoothly and quietly along a guide rail via a side-mounted zip. The high level of wind stability ensures that large areas exposed to the wind are shaded reliably and with no light gaps at the sides.

Convenient networking of functions
KNX, the global standard for house and building automation, can be used to conveniently network and control various functions within a building – whether centrally via an operating element or automatically using intelligent sensors. In the WolkenWerk, all sun shading elements are managed using this standard to create a stand-alone sun shading control system. This system uses the window awnings to provide shading automatically, depending on the amount of sunlight. In the event of frost or high wind speeds, the sun shading is moved to a safe position. Each of the three high-rises also has a KNX weather station. One reason why the planners opted for KNX was that the high-rise buildings have many wind zones and the around 60 facade wind sensors required could not be managed using conventional systems.

Design element and preventive fire protection
Warema’s SecuTex A2 fabric is used in the WolkenWerk complex in a harmonious blend of function and design. This non-flammable material certified in accordance with DIN 4102-1 and VKF 6q.3/RF1s is used both for external sun shading and in the interior in the form of glare protection roller blinds. The fabric is made up of a silicone-coated glass-fibre fabric with no poisonous or dangerous chemicals added. This means that in the event of a fire, no poisonous gases are emitted and smoke development is minimal. Unlike other textile sun shading products, Warema’s SecuTex A2 fabric does not act as an additional fire accelerant, preventing life-threatening smoke inhalation.

Construction details

Property: WolkenWerk high-rise residential buildings
Location: Zurich-Leutschenbach, Switzerland
Owner: Leutschenbach AG, Schwyz, Schweiz
Architecture/planning: Staufer & Hasler Architekten, Frauenfeld, Switzerland;
von Ballmoos Partner Architekten, Zurich, Switzerland;
Ghisleni Partner AG, Zurich, Switzerland (building management general contractor submission)
Landscape planning: Mavo Landschaften, Zurich, Switzerland
Execution: Implenia AG, Opfikon, Switzerland
Completed: 2020

Sun shading:
- WAREMA front-mounted awnings with easyZIP guidance,
motor drive and SecuTex A2 fabric
- WAREMA window awnings with easyZIP guidance, motor drive
and Twilight fabric

Control system: Automated adjustment (for sun, frost and wind) controlled via KNX, even after manual operation
- 355 KNX Sun shading actuators SA REG
- 18 KNX Sun shading actuators SA AP
- 10 KNX Actuators UP
- 12 BAline KNX MCM
- 19 BAline MIOs

- 58 Sensors Wind/Photo/Radio clock
- 3 WAREMA KNX Weather stations
- 2 WAREMA KNX Room Controller

Note on image usage:
The use of the unchanged images is only permitted in the context of the respective press release and exclusively for editorial reporting on WAREMA products, not for advertising purposes. Please use "Copyright WAREMA" as the correct acknowledgment of the source. Please send a digital specimen copy.