New training center for the sport of polo, Seuzach

The project
The Polo Park Zurich (PPZ) is the polo club with the most members in Switzerland and operates a training center for the sport of polo in Seuzach near Winterthur. In addition to the playing fields, the center, which covers 7.5 hectares, also includes a new operations building and several stables. They were both completed in 2016. The stables have space for 57 horse stalls, plus nine tack rooms and a storage room. In the operations building, there are recreation rooms for guests and horse caretakers on the first floor, as well as the entire building services. On the second floor there are eight rooms and a separate lounge. These rooms are intended for riders who would like to spend a night or two in Seuzach. The attic of the main building offers space for storage.

The construction
Except for the floor slabs, all buildings of the Polo Park were constructed of wood. Stables and service buildings were constructed as timber frame buildings with wooden formwork as facade cladding. The challenge The imposing aspect of the Polo Park buildings is their mass. The floor plan of all the stables is 25 by 80 meters. The adjacent service building measures 18 by 35 meters and is 10 meters high.

The challenge
A building with these dimensions requires special measures for bracing for wind and earthquakes. The entire building was constructed entirely in wood; a central concrete core for bracing is not available. For this reason, everything had to be stabilized via the solid wood ceilings and stud walls.