The Europa Allee project is still in its infancy, but many of the chic boutiques in the shopping area are already open! Launched in 2006, this vast redevelopment programme for an area adjacent to Zurich station, owned by the Swiss railways, is designed to accommodate cafés, spas, fashion and sports boutiques, upmarket restaurants, as well as residential and work areas. By 2019, this mixed-use district with a high economic and ecological value - the buildings are eco-friendly, as Switzerland is obliged to do - will be fully completed. It will include 100,000 m2 of office space, schools and universities, homes for the elderly, a large number of flats and a second 25 Hours hotel, a fun and trendy little chain that was born in Hamburg a few years ago. In all, 40 % of the area will be residential. The whole project will cost 1.35 billion Swiss francs, making it one of the biggest property developments in the country today. Many of the buildings will be designed by leading architects such as David Chipperfield. By 2019, Europa Allee is expected to house 2,500 students, 650 hotel beds, 150 cinemas, 2,500 shops and restaurants and 274,000 m2 of flats.
And from 2017, the public spaces will be fully accessible: the 75 ginkgos biloba planted throughout the district will then be able to flourish... Because Zurich always sees everything in green!
