KCAP’s Innovation Park Hangar Revitalizes Zürich Airfield

Dübendorf Airfield, one of Switzerland’s oldest and most historically significant aviation hubs, is undergoing a transformation. KCAP, the internationally renowned architecture and urbanism firm, is repurposing a 1925-built hangar into the Innovation Park Hangar, a state-of-the-art research facility for ETH Zürich. This adaptive reuse project carefully balances heritage preservation with contemporary spatial needs, turning an industrial landmark into a hub for AI, robotics, aerospace, and mobility research.

Honoring the Past: A Steel-Frame Legacy

The hangar is part of a pair of early 20th-century industrial structures, originally constructed for Swissair. Defined by their steel truss framework and expansive proportions, these buildings stand as rare examples of wide-span industrial architecture from the period. KCAP’s design retains and restores the exposed steel trusses, ensuring the hangar’s historic engineering remains visible and structurally celebrated. The large-format sliding doors, once used for aircraft movement, are refurbished, allowing a seamless indoor-outdoor experience that reflects the site’s aviation heritage.

Spatial Flexibility and Research Innovation

At 150 meters long and 20 meters wide, the cavernous interior offers a generous 3,600 square meters of adaptable space. Instead of subdividing the hangar, KCAP introduces three custom-designed, bi-level research clusters. These clusters incorporate modular glass and wooden elements, preserving the openness of the space while providing structured work environments. Positioned at varying heights, they create mezzanine levels shaped by the steel trusses, fostering a dynamic interplay between the building’s industrial past and its future as a research hub. A sunken utility channel runs the length of the hangar, providing energy, air, and IT infrastructure while maintaining spatial flexibility. Exposed technical installations further emphasize the industrial aesthetic, reinforcing the building’s original materiality and function.

Blurring Boundaries: A Dialogue Between Interior and Exterior

A key feature of the Innovation Park Hangar is its seamless connection to the outdoors. The original sliding doors open directly onto the airfield apron, ensuring fluidity between research activities and the surrounding landscape. This openness not only enhances natural light and ventilation but also allows researchers to extend their workspaces into the exterior environment. The hangar is strategically located on the northern edge of Dübendorf Airfield, forming a transitional zone between the airfield and the adjacent residential neighborhood. Its preserved industrial form and sensitive interventions ensure the building harmonizes with both historical and contemporary contexts.

Materiality and Sustainable Adaptation

KCAP’s approach emphasizes material reuse and sustainability, aligning with Swiss construction values. The restoration of original surfaces, combined with the introduction of natural wood and glass, creates a balance between old and new. The ruggedness of the exposed steel complements the warmth of the wooden research clusters, embodying a design philosophy that respects the past while embracing modern efficiency. The Innovation Park Hangar is not just an adaptive reuse project; it is a statement on the intersection of heritage, sustainability, and research-driven design. Once complete in late 2025, it will stand as a model for how historic infrastructure can be reimagined for contemporary needs.

Technical Sheet