School Complex Chrüzacher, Bassersdorf

The initial situation

As in so many communities in the large Swiss conurbations, the number of pupils in Bassersdorf has also risen recently. For this reason, the new Chrüzacher school complex for around 400 pupils was built on an agricultural open space not far from the town center.  

Place for the new generation from Bassersdorf

The new school complex includes a primary school building with integrated kindergarten and a double gymnasium. The school building has a basement, a ground floor and two upper floors with floor plans of around 1400 m². On the ground floor there are four classrooms, an auditorium, a small kitchen, a library and several teachers' rooms. There are twelve school and twelve group rooms on each of the two upper floors. 

The building was designed in such a way that it can be extended by an additional floor if required.  

The construction

The Chrüzacher school complex was constructed in hybrid construction with concrete ceilings and load-bearing external walls in timber frame construction. The gymnasium with a floor space of 950 m² was built completely in wood construction over ground. The hall girders are made of block glued laminated timber girders, 360 x 1810 mm in size, span over 28 m. They were installed 10 cm too high to compensate directly for the deformations of the dead and ballast loads. Originally, a concrete roof was planned for the gym, but at Timbatec's suggestion a wooden roof made of hollow box elements was chosen, which saved costs.