HIL Building Renewal: Refurbishing for the Future

On 3 September 2025, ETH Zurich outlined a comprehensive plan to refurbish the HIL Building on the Hönggerberg campus. Completed in 1976 and never significantly updated, the structure now faces poor insulation, outdated systems, and limited space for the academic departments it houses.

A Building Ready for Renewal

Home to the university’s Architecture and Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering departments, the HIL Building shows clear signs of age. Inefficient energy performance and obsolete services have prompted the university to set out a long-term redevelopment program. The goal is to modernize facilities and create a more suitable environment for study and research.

Front façade of the HIL Building at ETH Zurich, highlighting its concrete and glass details — The HIL Building front view, showing the exterior materials before refurbishment works begin.

Turning the Campus into a Living Lab

From 2026 to 2029, the building will serve as a living laboratory, where faculty and students will test ideas and prototypes in:

Energy efficiency
Climate-responsive design
Circular construction and material reuse

The knowledge and results gained during this phase will feed directly into the final refurbishment design.

Aerial view of the HIL Building within ETH Zurich campus, showing its location and surrounding spaces. — The HIL Building aerial shot, highlighting its position within the campus and nearby green areas.

Construction Timeline

Major works are scheduled for 2030–2035, with plans to add new storeys along the building’s length. The project will also overhaul its infrastructure and services.

Leadership and Approach

The project is overseen by Professor Matthias Kohler (Architecture) and Hannes Pichler (Real Estate Management). Kohler noted that conducting research within their own workplace brings an extra dimension to the project. It combines academic inquiry with hands-on practice.

Side view of the HIL Building, focusing on window distribution and building levels — The HIL Building side view, showing the longitudinal depth and window arrangement prior to renovation.

Broader Goals

ETH Zurich aims to transform an aging campus facility into a benchmark for integrating research, teaching, and sustainable construction. It will demonstrate how universities can adapt legacy buildings for the future.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The article frames the HIL Building renewal at ETH Zurich as an academic experiment, turning a 1970s campus block into a living laboratory for teaching and research. It evokes an image of neutral concrete planes and modular steel framing prepared for trials in energy efficiency and material reuse, alongside the prospect of new storeys reshaping the longitudinal profile. Yet the narrative leaves contextual integration with the surrounding campus largely unexplored, inviting reflection on architectural identity. This research-driven pathway positions the project as a valuable long-term case study in sustainability and adaptive campus strategies.

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