Zürich’s Freitag Tower outlasts its temporary permit

Twenty years after it was built as a temporary structure, Zürich’s Freitag Tower remains a landmark in the city’s western district, SRF reports. The 26-metre tower is made from 19 used shipping containers stacked beside the Hardbrücke bridge.

Designed by Zürich architecture firm spillmann echsle architekten ag and completed in 2006, the tower was created by brothers Markus and Daniel Freitag, founders of the brand known for bags made from used truck tarpaulins. They wanted their first shop to reflect the brand’s recycling ethos. Markus Freitag called the container a heavier version of the truck tarpaulin used for the bags.

The brothers found the plot beside the Hardbrücke by chance and sourced the brightly coloured containers in Hamburg. The project faced no objections and was completed within six months.

The lower floors now house Freitag’s flagship store. Visitors can climb the stairs to an observation platform overlooking the bridge, railway tracks and Zürich-West, a former industrial district that has changed significantly over the past two decades.

The tower was approved only provisionally and stood on a fixed-term lease. Both arrangements were repeatedly extended. Its modular design allowed the shop to expand by two containers in 2010. Further modifications followed in 2014, including the installation of a heat pump. The building was extensively renovated and repainted in 2019, and a photovoltaic system installed on the roof in 2026 now produces solar power for the flagship store.

Markus Freitag said the tower was an early contribution to the redevelopment of the district and had since become a permanent part of it. Couples have held wedding ceremonies there, while nearby kindergartens sometimes visit the tower. The children look down from above and may spot a truck on the Hardbrücke, echoing the brothers’ original inspiration for their bags.

Silke Langenberg, a professor of construction heritage and historic preservation at ETH Zürich, said the tower had helped initiate the district’s development and had been ahead of its time. In her view, its recycled materials and provisional-looking architecture fit the industrial district and make the building appear authentic rather than staged.

Langenberg said the tower could qualify for protection as a contemporary witness and architectural monument. Markus Freitag said it should remain as long as it continued to fit the district.