New multipurpose building to replace the Rail Transport Hall, which dates from 1959

The Swiss Museum of Transport opened on 1 July 1959 having taken two years to build. Rail TransportHall 1 on Haldenstrasse was part of the original museum premises. The first phase of expansion camebetween 1969 and 1979, and resulted in the addition of the Planetarium, an office building and theAviation and Space Travel Hall. The Hans Erni Museum (1979), Rail Transport Halls 2 and 3 (1982),Navigation, Aerial Cableways and Tourism Hall (1984) and the construction of the Filmtheater (1996)represented further important milestones in the development of the museum.

Entrance on Haldenstrasse side
An architectural competition for an overall museum concept was held in 1999. It was won by Gigon/GuyerArchitects with their 2020 development study. This led to the erection of the new entrance building andRoad Transport Hall and the establishment of the Arena (2009). The development study for the museumenvisages an extension of individual thematically structured buildings. The replacement multipurposebuilding comes under this concept.Rail Transport Hall 1 is in need of replacement due to its defective structural condition caused bysubsidence; moreover, its indoor climate no longer meets international museum standards. “Thisreplacement building is of considerable importance to the Swiss Museum of Transport,” says its Director,Martin Bütikofer. Expanding and opening the public zone as far as Haldenstrasse will improve themuseum’s accessibility via public transport and integrate the museum more in the urban environment. Itwill also help open the existing ring of buildings, which have emerged over the decades, and provide linksto the exhibition, public zone, offices and conferencing area.

Exhibition and shop spaces
Most of the ground floor will be devoted to a double-height exhibition space. A railway track will lead to itfrom the neighbouring Rail Transport Hall and the Swiss Federal Railways network. The new exhibitionhall will have a flexible remit, allowing it to be accessed by the public as a special exhibition space or as2part of the museum’s core offering. The ground floor will also house a shop measuring some 200 m².Conferencing facilities are planned for the first floor, comprising meeting rooms and a flexible conferencespace.

Offices and power plant
Three floors of office space with ancillary amenities are planned. An inner courtyard will optimise theamount of natural light reaching the offices. The museum intends to relocate its offices (currently in theoffice building on Lidostrasse) to the new facility. The basement will house a new power plant for theentire museum premises: the aim is to achieve a significantly higher usage of renewable energy whereheating and cooling are concerned.The material used for the façade takes into account noise of traffic on Haldenstrasse and trains on therailway line: it will consist of a metallic “curtain” comprising variously profiled and perforated trapezoidalplates.

Submission of planning application in mid-April
The construction costs in the region of CHF 36 million will be financed using the museum’s own capitalresources, borrowed capital and funding provided by investors. Submission of the planning application isscheduled for mid-April 2018 with occupancy envisaged for December 2020 at the earliest. The existingoffice building will then be refurbished.