Project collaborators

Nova Fundaziun Origen is building the White Tower in close collaboration with ETH Zurich, the construction companies Uffer Group and Zindel United, and the engineering firm Conzett Bronzini Partner AG. The architects of the White Tower are Prof Dr Benjamin Dillenburger and Michael Hansmeyer from the Digital Building Technologies research group at ETH Zurich. The ETH professorships of Robert Flatt (building materials) and Walter Kaufmann (structural engineering), together with other researchers from the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication, have made significant contributions to the development. The construction of the White Tower is an architectural, engineering, and financial challenge. The Tower could only be realised thanks to the courageous commitment of generous foundations, companies, and private individuals.

Nova Fundaziun Origen

Client
Nova Fundaziun Origen, Dr. Giovanni Netzer

Team: Anja Diener, Rebecca Suenderhauf, Philipp Bühler,
Torry Trautmann, Sandro Pirovino

Site Management
Invias AG, Diego Casparin
Nova Fundaziun Origen, Anja Diener

Master Builder
Zindel + Co. AG (Zindel United), Nico Russi
Battaglia Bau AG (Uffer Gruppe), Sascha Pittet

Structural Engineer
Conzett Bronzini Partner AG, Jürg Conzett

Building Physics
mk bauphysik, Martin Kant

ETH Zurich

Architecture
Prof. Dr. Benjamin Dillenburger, Digital Building Technologies (DBT),
Michael Hansmeyer

Team: Dr. Ana Anton (Research Lead), Eleni Skevaki, Che Wei Lin, Ming-Yang Wang, Lena Kitani, Huang Su, Dr. Konrad Graser (ZHAW Institute of Construction Technology and Processes, Project Coordination)

Structure
Prof. Dr. Walter Kaufmann, Institute of Structural Engineering (IBK)
Team: Dr. Alejandro Giraldo Soto, Dr. Lukas Gebhard, Dr. Lucia Licciardello

Building Materials
Prof. Dr. Robert Flatt, Institute for Building Materials
Team: Dr. Timothy Wangler, Dr. Lex Reiter

Geodesy
Prof. Dr. Andreas Wieser, Geosensors and Engineering Geodesy (GSEG)

Technicians / Robotic Fabrication Laboratory
Mike Lyrenmann, Philippe Fleischmann, Tobias Hartmann, Luca Petrus, Jonathan Leu

RENATE SICK GLASER
SPYROS S. NIARCHOS
PADRINS VON MULEGNS
N.N.

About Nova Fundaziun Origen

The Nova Fundaziun Origen was founded in 2005 by Giovanni Netzer. Origen is one of the largest cultural institutions in the canton of Grisons and has a wide-ranging portfolio. It employs around 250 artists and staff in 30 full-time positions every year. The foundation is involved in theatre, music, education, building culture, handicrafts, and research. Origen is a host, revitalising dying villages and contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage in the mountain canton. The foundation and its founders have received numerous awards, including the Wakker Prize of the Swiss Heritage Society, the Grand Grisons Culture Prize, and the Hans Reinhart Ring, the most important award in Swiss theatre life.

About ETH Zurich

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, ETH Zurich for short, is a technical and scientific university in Zurich. It was founded in 1855 as the Swiss Federal Polytechnic, modelled on the École polytechnique in Paris. At ETH Zurich, students find an environment that encourages independent thinking and researchers a climate that inspires top performance. In the heart of Europe and with a worldwide network, ETH Zurich develops solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow. It is one of the most renowned universities in the world and regularly occupies top positions in university rankings.

The research in 3D concrete printing is conducted within the framework of the NCCR Digital Fabrication. It is supported by the Partnership Council for Sustainable Construction and Digital Fabrication and the ETH Foundation.

Research groups from the Departments of Architecture (D-ARCH) and Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (D-BAUG) from ETH Zurich are participating in the research and development of the White Tower.