Sihlcity, Zurich

Sihlcity, Zurich

A range of systems from Jakob was installed at the landmark Sihlcity Centre in Zurich, delivering a number of sustainable, aesthetic and cost benefits. 

Jakob was involved in several elements of this development, including the design and installation of a Green Wall for the eastern façade of the 850-car park, and the covering of a large part of the southern façade of the same building with stainless steel Webnet. In addition, Webnet structures were prominently used in the hallways of the shopping center.

While the Green Wall is notable for its scale, the Webnet ‘curtain’ over the building’s southern façade represented the first such application of this product.  For this elevation, the architect wanted a ‘skin-like’, large-area structure that would add a different element to the building’s aesthetic, whilst helping to preserve its original character as far as possible. 

Almost as remarkable as the façade, is the design of the internal stairways, where Webnet has been used in place of conventional banisters – and in the case of the spiral staircases to secure the structures’ cores.  For these applications, Webnet is attached to the concrete ceiling of the staircase with a metal hoop and held in shape by vertically arranged stainless steel ropes running along the internal surface and fixed to the lateral surfaces of the slabs and steps.