Globus Provisorium — Renovation Instead of Demolition
Zürich's Most Famous Provisional Building Is Finally Getting a Permanent Future.
It was built in 1961, planned to last eight years, and is still standing. Now, after more than six decades of debate, the city has finally decided what to do with the Globus Provisorium — and for once, the answer isn't demolition.
The building on the Papierwerd-Areal, wedged between the Hauptbahnhof and Central on the Bahnhofbrücke, will be comprehensively renovated and transformed into a publicly accessible space. The city council presented the plans in mid-April, putting a definitive end to years of on-again-off-again demolition proposals — most recently in 2018, when the council had seriously considered knocking it down in favour of an open plaza.
Heritage protection ultimately made that impossible. Zürich's Denkmalpflege had classified the building as a protected object of high architectural quality back in 2016, and that designation held.
What the building will become
The retail function — currently a Coop — moves to the basement. The ground floor opens up towards the street with a new interior courtyard bringing in natural light. Upper floors become flexible public space: culture, education, events, gastronomy. On the roof, a publicly accessible terrace. A bicycle station inside the building is also being considered.
The green space behind the building, already partially developed into a small park with trees and benches since 2024, will be expanded further with better access to the Limmat. The Mühlesteg footbridge will be relocated slightly upriver and widened to accommodate cyclists.
The numbers and timeline
Total renovation cost: CHF 78 million, expected to refinance itself through rental income over time. The architecture competition launches now, with results expected in summer 2028. The project goes to a public vote around 2031. If everything goes to plan, the renovated building opens in 2035 — at which point, after 74 years, it will finally lose its status as a provisional structure.
It's taken long enough. But then again, this is Zürich's most famous provisorium. It was never going to be a quick story.
