Preservation of Architectural Heritage and Other Forms of Sustainability Vesna Tomse (International Network of Urban Research and Action, Association “Gueterbahnhof”, Local Network “Right to City“, Zurich) International NGOs forum «Protection of World Heritage Properties» June 22-24, 2012 St.Petersburg, Russia

1. International NGO Forum on World Cultural Heritage, St. Petersburg 22.-24. June 2012
Preservation of architectural heritage
and other forms of sustainability
Vesna Tomse, sociologist / urban activist

2. Romantic Zurich

3. Hypotheses
• The neoliberal way of preservation: Instead of
preservation laws investment into historical sites
• The «heritage turn»: Architectural heritage as a
factor of upgrading
• From state led to private led urban upgrading
• Alternatives to exclusion: Sustainable
redevelopment of old buildings

4. Zürich
Nord
Zürich
Four
West
development
Old Freight Yard
areas
Sihl City
Old city
Manegg

5. Structure of the presentation
• Structural change and its reflection in space and
architecture
• Four sites and ways of dealing with heritage
1. Zurich North and the destruction of heritage
2. Zurich West and state led upgrading by
preservation
3. Influencing sites outside Zurich West (Sihl City
and Manegg)
4. A new dimension: Social sustainability and
heritage

6. Structural change:
From the industrial to the knowledge economy
From the industrial
sites of workers …
… to the office-towers
of a managerial class

7. Zürich
Nord
Zurich North
Old Freight Yard
Sihl City
Old city

8. Zurich is not a city of finance
Oerlikon 1930
Neu-Oerlikon 2008
Neu-Oerlikon
1988-1998 planing phase
1998-2008 construction
5’000 inhabitants, 12’000 working places
2 billion € investment

9. A new city

11. The most destructive
power: Money.
And coming with it:
alienation.
Maschinenfabrik
Oerlikon (MFO):
Headquarter
MFO-parc

12. Displacement of
the MFO
headquarter
22.05.2012:
Displacing 6200
tons by 60 meters

13. Zürich
Nord
Zürich
Zurich West
West
Old city

14. Escher-Wyss Company
1930 – the biggest
factory in Oerlikon
Prime Tower 2012
Zurich West
• 8'000 inhabitants, 2015 40'000
working places
• Cooperative planing 1997-2000
• Construction 2000 –
• Usages: Research, start-ups,
design, gastro, urban housing

15. Flagship projects
upgrading the former
industrial sites

16. The reconstruction
of Zurich West

17. State-led
upgrading
The ship-building facility of
Escher-Wyss 2000
Puls 5, industrial interior

18. Löwenbräu brewery: Private-
led regeneration and
preservation
Löwenbräu 2012 and
2013

19. Toni-Areal 2011 and 2013:
Art academy (academy of
classical and jazz music,
visual arts academy,
academy of design etc.)

20. Zürich
Nord
Zürich
Sihl City
West
Sihl City
Old city

21. Private led upgrading through
preservation of industrial heritage
The «Zurich paper-factory at the Sihl» now is «Sihl City»:
77 shopping areas, a hotel, a wellness facility, a multiplex
cinema)
• 2'300 working places,
• 20'000 visitors per day
• investment volume
500 mio.€
• rent profit 40 mio.€
per year
1936: «Zürcher Papierfabrik
an der Sihl» («Zurich paper-
factory at the Sihl»

22. The «urban entertainment center «Sihl City» was
opened 2007

23. Zürich
Nord
Zürich
The Hürlimann
West
brewery
Hürlimann brewery
Sihl City
Old city

24. The Hürlimann brewery
• Production : 1870-1997
• 1999 planing (preservation of 4 buildings), 2001-2009
construction
• 350 mio € of investment
• Appartments (lofts), old-age residences (no retirement home),
thermal bath, restaurants, offices, a market (eg. Google
Switzerland)
Brewery
«Hürlimann»,
1900

25. Hürimann areal
1997 and 2010
Thermal bath 2010

26. Zürich
Nord
Zürich
West Manegg
Sihl City
Old city
Manegg

27. Architectural industrial heritage and
sustainability (social and ecological)
• 2006: Planing beginning
• 2011: Planing for
«GreenCity.Zurich»
• 700–1200 inhabitants
and ca. 3000 working
places
• 4 Housing cooperatives
involved
«Sihl Papier», constructed 1960
The spinnery beside the «Sihl-Papier»,
constructed in 1857

28. • 2011: Planing the
«GreenCity.Zurich»
• 700–1200 inhabitants
and ca. 3000 working
places
• 250 apartments
cooperative housing

29. Zürich
Nord
Zürich
West
The old freight
Old Freight Yard yard
Sihl City
Old city
Manegg

30. Even more
sustainability: The
old freight yard
and its association

31. Architecture
revolutionising
logistics around
the world

32. The regional project: a police and legal
centre

33. The association: Alternatives in urban
development

34. Sustainability in urban development
• Historic sustainability: Identity and
architectural heritage
• Social sustainability: Old / young people,
families; small businesses
• Ecological sustainability: Minimising energy
and living surface consumption
• Economic sustainability: Investors (housing
cooperatives; foundations)

35. The
committee

36. Thank you for your attention!