Schaffhausen builds bicycle station from reused components

Schaffhausen’s new bicycle station can hold more than 200 bikes and uses reclaimed building materials in a pilot project for circular construction, SRF reports.

The steel structure near the railway station has a distinctive zigzag roof. Its large letter H is a former helicopter landing pad from Zurich Children’s Hospital, dismantled and reused in Schaffhausen. Architect Manuel Bergamini said it was left visible to draw attention to the use of reclaimed materials.

Other reused components include facade cladding from the former hospital, roofing sheets from old bus shelters, and overhead line masts and railway tracks supplied by SBB. A sliding door that once served as the entrance to an Avec shop at Bülach station was also incorporated into the building.

Bergamini and his team worked with Zurich-based specialist firm Zirkular to find suitable materials. Its team of “component hunters” searched buildings due for demolition and assessed what could be salvaged. When they found a potential match, they sent the architects photos, measurements and sketches, often leaving them little time to decide whether it would work.

The materials had to be bought, removed and stored quickly, while the architectural plans were repeatedly adjusted to fit what was available. The entrance, for example, was designed wider or narrower depending on the components at hand.

The project cost around 1.8 million francs. Bergamini estimates that about two-thirds of the building consists of reused components; reuse was not possible for the remaining third. He said the process was demanding and did not necessarily make construction cheaper.

Other reuse projects in Switzerland include a pavilion planned by the city of Bern for 2028, using components from buildings being dismantled, including an indoor swimming pool and an artificial ice rink. In Basel-Stadt, components from a demolished car park are being stored for reuse in new residential buildings.