Bellerive Zurich office building: photovoltaics and LEED certification

With the modernization, Allreal, as the building owner, aimed for an "architecturally high-quality and energetically innovative" modernization of the up to eight-storey commercial building, which was originally built in 1974 for the energy company Elektrowatt. Allreal was aiming for LEED Core & Shell Platinum certification. Special attention was paid to the generation of renewable energy using photovoltaics. We designed a photovoltaics roof and façade system for this purpose.

For the implementation of the façade system, the architects replaced the parapet bands with canopies running around the building. We equipped the 1.8-metre cantilevered canopies with photovoltaics modules, which act both as electricity producers and as shading elements for the interior. To ensure that they harmonize perfectly with the façade, the modules were coloured in a similar shade. An inclination of 24° should ensure that no snow remains on the slightly profiled carrier glass and that rain cleans it of dirt. Together, the two solar systems cover more than half of the commercial building's own requirements.