Addition Birkenrain, Zurich Retirement and Nursing Home, Bellariastrasse 21, Zürich

The project
The Birkenrain old people's and nursing home with a dementia ward is in a quiet location in the Enge district on the lower right bank of Lake Zurich. After a total renovation, an extension in the basement and a new floor, the nursing home shines in new splendor. A new room layout in the existing building and the adaptation of the staircase adapt the existing building to today's needs. At the same time, high fire protection requirements had to be taken into account, since the building is an accommodation facility. The rooms are planned in encapsulated cellular construction and the building is equipped with technical fire protection measures such as a fire alarm system and smoke and heat extraction system.

The construction
A new ribbed floor above the existing solid structure serves as a load-balancing slab. This allows the forces of the newly built floor to be transferred to the load transfer points. On top of this now stands the addition in stud construction, partly with an integrated knee wall section. The interior walls are built as an encapsulated construction for fire protection reasons.

The challenge
The load-bearing direction changed several times depending on the support situation and due to urban planning regulations and is longitudinal or transverse. Another challenge was the high requirements for fire protection (QSS3), since the building is an accommodation facility.