The 262-foot Limmat Tower is regarded as the centerpiece of one of Dietikon, Switzerland’s newer districts, Limmatfeld. At its impressive height, the structure towers high above the district, making it Rapidplatz square’s most recognizable feature. Architect Lukas Huggenberger explained, “The tower creates a central point for Limmatfeld in the way a church used to do for a medieval town.”
The tower, which serves as a mixed residential high rise, boasts a sleek and modern aesthetic. The monolithic structure was deliberately designed to be different from the traditional glass-fronted façades of the buildings immediately surrounding the area. Inspired by the Chicago skyscrapers of the early 21st century, Limmat Tower takes on the traditional shape of the average office block, presenting a rather striking visual in Limmatfeld, before tapering off at the top.
The building’s contemporary twist arrives in the form of its unique pentagonal shape, as well as the aluminum composite material that envelopes the entire structure. Alucobond PLUS ACM gives the tower a subtle, yet dynamic, color-changing appearance. Because of its three-dimensional fabrication, greater light manipulation is possible, allowing for more shifts in hues.
Huggenberger elaborated on his design, stating, “The building interlocks with the sky and thereby underlines the height of the building. The surface of the façade takes up the light moods and weather moods of the surroundings with a fine shine. In the course of a day, the building changes color and thereby looks alive and multi-faceted.”
The ACM featured on the building’s exterior façade is enriched with Beckers’ BeckryⓇFluor, a PVDF-based coating, and BeckryⓇFlon, a coating enriched with FEVE resin. This powerful combination of products makes for a coating system that is impervious to water, salt, UV radiation, and other elemental deterrents. With its hyperdurability, and superior color and gloss retention, Limmat Tower’s eyecatching, color-changing façade is bound to remain in pristine condition for decades to come.
Photo Credit: Beckers / Florian Licht