NEW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AT ZURICH AIRPORT RECEIVES FEDERAL APPROVAL

The Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications (DETEC) has approved the construction of a new air traffic control tower at Zurich Airport. Replacing the existing 40-year-old tower, the new structure will be a part of the new Zurich Airport Dock A, providing controllers an improved overview of ground and air operations. As the first part of the airport complex to be built, the tower will operate as a free-standing structure until the completion of the new Dock A. Zurich Airport’s new Dock A – designed by BIG, Itten+Brechbühl AG, Buro Happold, PIRMIN JUNG, NACO, EBP, Haerter & Partner AG, TLP, and many others – includes Schengen and Non-Schengen gates, airside retail, lounges, offices, the new air traffic control tower, and an extension of the immigration hall. The design is conceived as a mass timber space frame that is structural design, spatial experience, architectural finish, and organizational principle in one. The structure is made from timber, and the roof is entirely clad in solar shingles, turning sunlight into a power source.