EM2N clad railway service facility with billowing cement facade

EM2N clad railway service facility with billowing cement facade
photo © roger frei
all images courtesy of EM2N

in an attempt to create a visually dynamic façade for the ‘extension to the railway service facility’ in zurich, switzerland, architecture office EM2N developed a fiber cement cladding system which gives billowing movement to the long elevation. the overall project was largely dictated by site limitations and engineers’ designs, producing a technically legible building. however, the southern elevation required additional treatment given its extreme length and high visibility to visitors entering the city by train. responding to the repetitive inner structure, the architects conceived a modular system of bulging panels which undulate three dimensionally.

the shed’s ends are cut flat, with walls recessed slightly into the volume containing train-sized doors
photo © roger frei

the new maintenance facility is able to accommodate trains up to 400 meters in length, which includes entire railcar linkages without disassembly. due to its massive scale, and visibility from travelers arriving and departing from zurich, the building garners urban significance. the cladding produces a play of light and shadows across the façade, activating the elongated volume.

each panel curves outward from the building, and also pinches or expands as it moves laterally along the façade
photo © roger frei

photo © roger frei

windows and doors are integrated into the billowing panels
photos © roger frei

the interior expresses the technical and structural services of the building
photo © roger frei

photo © roger frei

a sawtooth structure on the roof allows for north oriented windows and south oriented photovoltaic panels
photo © roger frei

the railway service extension serves as a buffer between the wide rail yard and the city to the north
image © EM2N

floor plan
drawing © EM2N

elevation
drawing © EM2N

section
drawing © EM2N

project info:

location: zurich-herdern
architect: EM2N
partners: mathias müller, daniel niggli
project leaders: christof zollinger (associate), stefan berle
project team: duarte brito, fabian hörmann (associate), mathias kampmann, benjamin nordmann
client: SBB (swiss federal railways)
dates: 2009–2010 (design) 2012–2013 (construction)
cost: 70 mio. chf
program: maintenance depot for 2-storey trains
ground floor area: 13,000 sqm
photography: roger frei