«Krokodil» house in Lokstadt, Winterthur

2019

Where locomotives and machines were once built, a new district is now being created. Urban living and working space for over 1,500 people is being created right next to Winterthur railroad station. Timbatec was responsible for the timber engineering services for the first building of the new Lokstadt.

The project

The Lokstadt site was once the most important production site for new locomotives and trains in Switzerland. Between 2018 and 2025, a new district will be built on this site in accordance with the 2,000-watt society's guidelines. The site consists partly of valuable listed industrial buildings and partly of modern new buildings. The renovations and conversions demand great respect for the existing buildings, but also technologically innovative solutions. In the new construction projects, great importance is attached to sustainable building materials. For example, most new buildings are constructed using timber. The «Krokodil» building is the first new building on the site and comprises 248 apartments in various living arrangements.

The construction method

The perimeter block development with an inner courtyard of 2,000 m² is designed as a skeleton structure. The wooden columns become a defining part of the architecture. The visible timber structure gives the living spaces a clear structure and creates a natural sense of space. In the «Krokodil», only the basement floors and the stairwells are made of reinforced concrete; the rest of the building was constructed from timber elements.

The challenge

The «Krokodil» was planned using Building Information Modeling (BIM) methods throughout. Coordinating the interfaces and the collaboration between the various parties involved was a major and exciting challenge, which we were happy to take on.