Science City ETH

'Science City' is the development vision for the university campus of the 21st century for the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich). The campus is required to act as an interface between scholarship and society, to offer a place where business, economics, politics and scholarship can interact. The campus and the city will not be linked physically, but provided with excellent infrastructural facilities. The campus’ boundaries and the landscape qualities of the Hönggerberg will be retained and the existing campus, by contrast, will be transformed internally and condensed into a multifaceted urban area to increase its capacity. Besides new research and teaching buildings, there will be housing for students and staff, accommodation for guests, sports facilities, child-care facilities, shops and food outlets. The plan also includes a new conference centre, a library and spaces for meetings and exhibitions. All these facilities are intended for a broader public than the university community alone. In addition, the campus will provide accommodation for business start-ups and established enterprises.

The spatial rendering of this vision is a dense fabric of large and small buildings, squares, courtyards and gardens that provide the ideal environment for research, discussion and development. Thanks to its precisely planned connections to the city and other university facilities, the network extends to the metropolitan level: from Science City to City of Science.