Preliminary work on the HPQ physics building has begun
Preliminary work on the new physics building on the Hönggerberg campus commenced at the start of August. The surrounding community will be affected by construction emissions.
After some delays, preliminary work for the HPQ physics building on the Hönggerberg campus started at the beginning of August. The new building will be constructed in the northern area of the campus, between the HIT and HIL buildings. The three Huber Pavilions will be dismantled by mid-September and transported off-site with a view to putting them into use elsewhere.
ETH Zurich’s plan for HPQ is to create an ultra-modern laboratory and office building for basic research in physics. The new building will be home to cutting-edge – and, in some cases, ultra-sensitive – research infrastructure, thereby enabling ETH Zurich to further consolidate its position in quantum technology. The majority of the building, comprising six levels in total, will be located underground.
A great deal of material will be used and moved around due to the sheer depth of the excavation pit and the building’s dimensions. The sensitive research experiments set to take place in the building will also call for highly insulated areas requiring specific structural measures. Furthermore, a new geothermal probe field will also be installed beneath the building to serve ETH Zurich’s Anergy Grid. This system plays a significant role in providing sustainable heating and cooling for the buildings connected to it on the Hönggerberg campus.
Noise is unavoidable
The work will necessarily produce a great deal of noise. The aim is to minimise disruptions to the neighbouring community through the use of low-vibration building methods. Unfortunately, a construction site of this magnitude simply cannot eliminate noise emissions and vibrations altogether. ETH Zurich’s Real Estate Management department apologises to all those affected for the inconvenience. Anyone affected who is affiliated with ETH Zurich can direct their questions to the relevant Downloadconstruction emissions coordinatingbody (PDF, 127 KB). Information about times when the site will be especially loud can be found at www.ethz.ch/hpq starting in November.
Overview of initial activities
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