SVTI: Laying of the foundation stone "Extension West
With a symbolic act, the Swiss Association for Technical Inspection, SVTI, celebrated the laying of the foundation stone for the construction project "Extension West" at its headquarters in Wallisellen on September 3. In the excavation pit, the builder sank a time capsule in which, among other documents, the September issue of the trade journal SicherheitsForum was stored.
SVTI headquarters in Wallisellen: This is where the West Extension is being built.
They had all come: Representatives of the municipality of Wallisellen, people from the responsible architectural office HZDS, the construction management and the board and management of the SVTI. At the site of the current excavation pit (see photo), another building almost as large as the current SVTI headquarters, which was also realized by HZDS and inaugurated in 1998, will be built. The new building is not only a commitment to the Wallisellen location, but also to further growth, said SVTI President Udo Bäckert.
The extension will create space for additional training opportunities: The seminar activities of the entire SVTI Group with the companies SVTI, Swiss TS, Swissi and IWT are to be expanded and combined under the umbrella of the "SVTI Academy". One of the aims of the West extension is to be able to offer the majority of training courses in-house in the future, so as to no longer be dependent on external course venues, according to the association.
The main entrance, the foyer and the subdivisible auditorium will be adjacent to the small and newly constructed Bahnhofplatz Süd (see third photo picture gallery). The second floor will provide space for seminar rooms, while the other upper floors will be designed as office space. According to the architect, a new parapet floor with a cantilevered flying roof will provide a distinctive landmark.
The existing SVTI building right next to the Wallisellen train station and the extension together form a coherent whole, as the architect in charge, Heinz Zimmermann, puts it. "Creating transparency" is the motto of the competence center for technical safety and risk management. This is also to be demonstrated by the extension building, which is designed with generous glass surfaces. If everything goes according to plan, the building should be ready for occupancy in 2017.
