Fire protection insufficient
A new solution must be found for the housing units in the planned transitional center for asylum seekers in Hall 9 of the Zurich Exhibition Center. A fire test by the fire police on Friday showed that the "Better Shelters" in use around the world do not meet the fire safety requirements in Zurich.
The "Better Shelters" presented to the media on Friday will definitely not be used in Hall 9 of Messe Zürich at the beginning of January 2016. A fire test carried out by the cantonal building insurance on Friday morning showed that the temporary shelters are too easily combustible. Against this background, the safety of the residents was not guaranteed, it was said at the media conference.
The housing units were developed by the Ikea Foundation together with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The refugee agency basically takes the position that these cottages offer sufficient protection against fire.
Two expert opinions - two opinions
The previous fire police clarifications had shown that the use of the shelters in Hall 9 was possible, as the city of Zurich writes. Based on an expert opinion from Sweden, it was assumed that the shelters would meet the fire protection requirements. In the course of this week, the cantonal building insurance received information about a new expert opinion from Germany, which raised doubts about the results of the Swedish expert opinion. The building insurance then arranged for a fire test. The results are not yet available in writing to the social department, but according to verbal information, the use of the shelters in Hall 9 is out of the question.
According to the Department of Social Affairs, the transitional center for asylum seekers can now be put into operation with a certain delay. The planned accommodation of around 250 people and the operating concept will not change.
