AL and Greens want to convert the EWZ property into a self-organized cultural center. But it’s not that easy.
Events were held in the boiler house during the occupation.
When the squatter scene calls in Zurich, it doesn’t take long before they are heard. For around ten days in November, left-wing activists occupied the dilapidated boiler house on Wasserwerkstrasse, a property of Stadtzürcher Elektrizitätswerk (EWZ). They complained that the city had failed to put the vacant building to good use and wanted to turn it into a center for non-commercial culture.
AL and Greens applauded and carried the demands of the autonomists to the city parliament. When the city police finally cleared the building after an announced deadline, both parties reacted with outrage: They suspected that the monument protection was an advanced argument to legitimize the eviction. The city council is making it impossible for “urgently needed cultural space” to be created and is taking part in the “displacement and gentrification” in Zurich.
Refurbishment would cost eleven million Swiss francs
What is the real condition of the property? Greens and AL have asked the city council for more detailed information. In a nutshell, the answer now is: not particularly good.
The city council refers to an expert opinion and a feasibility study, which conclude that the building is in poor condition. Some steel girders are rusted, the basement was partially filled with rubble. About two years ago, parts of the roof collapsed; According to the city council, if the squatters had climbed onto the roof, for example to put up posters, it could have broken through. That’s why the EWZ had concerns about security.
In the property, which has been vacant since 2019, there are hardly any sanitary facilities, and the technical building installations are only rudimentary. According to the city council, the halls are not suitable for large crowds of people – the activists had held events during the occupation – because there are too few escape routes.
The city council assumes that a renovation of the boiler house would cost up to eleven million. In the cheapest variant, only the most important structural measures would be taken care of – without safety-related, sanitary or building-related measures.
A project should be available by 2027
In its answer, the city council hinted that the boiler house could not currently be used as a cultural space, as the autonomists would like. If only because the rooms did not meet fire safety requirements. The maintenance work has so far been limited to the bare essentials because the future use of the boiler house has not yet been determined. It will initially serve as a storage room, while the EWZ area on Pfingstweidstrasse is being renovated and there is no storage space there.
The city is currently examining how the property can be used in the future. The focus is on the areas of education and culture. A project should be available by 2027. Particular attention was paid to the power plant and the Letten substation, which are part of the building complex and, according to the city council, are part of Zurich’s critical infrastructure due to the security of supply. During the occupation, the EWZ had to reckon with the autonomists taking over these buildings, which was classified as dangerous.
The discussion about the boiler house will soon continue in the city parliament: in a postulate, the AL and the Greens demand “self-organized use” for cultural and political events, including a kitchen and self-help workshops. A demand that should be critically received by the bourgeoisie.