New technology in the Grüze Innovation Laboratory

Neighborhood center The latest construction project in Winterthur is surprising. The Gruze Innovation Lab is opening next to the large construction site at the Groze Crossing. Anyone interested can find information about the large construction site near the train station here. But the winger wants to be more. The city writes about a meeting place with a café. Challenges such as climate change should be discussed here. But: It was built not with climate-friendly timber, but with concrete. conflict? not necessarily. A completely new technology is used with carbon fiber reinforced concrete. “Thanks to the CPC approach, we reduce CO2₂– footprint by a factor of two to four and material savings of up to 75 percent compared to traditional construction methods,” says Josef Korath, professor at the Department of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering at ZHAW and founder of CPC AG.

Artist studio and concert venue

But how does CPC concrete compare to wood construction? This comparison is difficult, as each building must be analyzed separately. “With regard to wood, we made comparisons in the field of foot and bicycle bridges. “CPC design works much better, especially when you look at the entire service life,” says Kurath. There are still no comparisons in building construction. The Grüze Innovation Lab will open in St. Gallerstrasse in May 2024. The approximately 12 square meter pavilion houses a screening room, a theater as well as a bistro under its roof and invites you to stay – initially in the warmer months of the year. The surrounding garden and accessible roof provide an experimental field for topics such as the sponge city, biodiversity and solar energy. “In the medium term, the Innovation Lab can grow into a living center and be expanded if necessary,” says the city of Winterthur. Possibly create artist studios, a concert venue or a daycare centre. ⋌Sandro Portman