Extension and New Construction of the Regional Care Centre Baden, AG

As part of the extension of the existing care centre in Baden, Canton Aargau, several existing buildings were demolished, converted, and newly constructed. Gruner AG is responsible for the structural design, excavation works, and building services connections.

At the historic Palace building dating from 1912, a push-over analysis demonstrated that the existing load-bearing structure meets the earthquake safety requirements, making major structural reinforcements unnecessary.

The new buildings – consisting of a care wing, senior apartments and an underground car park – are being built in solid construction and are generally shallow-founded. Exceptions include the extension above the existing kindergarten and point loads directly above the combined sewer, where micropiles and displacement bored piles were used for strengthening and bridging.

During the design of the excavation pits, special care was taken to protect trees and the surrounding utilities and sewerage systems. Where possible, the excavation pits were secured with internal struts. In the 9 m deep pit at Wing A this was not feasible, requiring detailed 3D modelling of the anchors to ensure installation without damaging existing pipelines.

Due to the different uses – lorry deliveries in basement level 2, catering kitchen in basement level 1, hall use on the ground floor, and care rooms on the upper floors – the floor plans were complex. Initially, several transfer slabs were planned. However, with 3D shell modelling and structural calculations, the walls in the basements, ground floor and upper floors were activated as load-bearing shear walls, allowing the elimination of additional columns and reducing slab thicknesses. During construction, temporary strutting was required to stabilise the lower storeys.

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