Eiffage is building the world’s tallest chocolate fountain for Lindt & Sprüngli in „Lindt Home of Chocolate” outside Zurich

The “Lindt Home of Chocolate” is being built in Kilchberg near Zurich, next to the headquarters of the world’s largest manufacturer of premium chocolate products – Lindt & Sprüngli AG. The general contractor is Priora AG, an Eiffage Group company.

Priora AG, since March 2018 a subsidiary of Eiffage Construction, has completed the first stage of the construction of a multifunctional commercial building, which will house a museum and an educational and research centre of the Swiss confectioner Lindt & Sprüngli.

The building erected by Priora AG will have a total of 5 storeys, including a two-storey underground car park and 3 storeys above ground. It is 20 metres high while its footprint corresponds approximately to the size of a football pitch (93 m long x 45 m wide). Finishing works inside the building will run until the end of September 2019. The official opening of the exhibition is planned for 2020. In addition to the building itself, Priora AG is also responsible for the development of the surrounding area, including the traffic-free main square of the premises of Lindt & Sprüngli and the surrounding greenery.

A special highlight of the “Lindt Home of Chocolate” will be the world’s tallest Lindor chocolate fountain, stretching 8 meters high, which will welcome visitors in the entrance area of the building. A fountain of this height poses a significant technical and construction challenge. Inside, the visitors will also find:

• a multi-media and interactive exhibition (total area of 1,500 m2) featuring 7 chocolate worlds which will help the visitors learn more about growing cocoa beans, the origins of chocolate and the history of chocolate production, Swiss chocolate pioneers, facts and figures about Swiss chocolate making industry, followed by chocolate tasting rooms and a show chocolate production facility;
• a chocolate manufactory (chocolateria) offering chocolate making courses for up to 60 participants with a lounge for holding functions combined with chocolate tasting;
• an elegant chocolate café with 80 in- and 40 out-door seats;
• the world’s largest Lindt Chocolate Shop with a total area of 500 m²;
• a lecture/cinema hall for 100 people; and
• a research centre for conducting R&D projects in association with specialized vocational schools and universities educating future generations of Swiss chocolate makers (chocolatiers).The “Lindt Home of Chocolate” is being built in Kilchberg, a small town situated on the shores of Lake Zurich, just 6 km south of Zurich (in the northern German-speaking part of Switzerland). The investor is the Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation. The total cost of the investment will reach EUR 82 million. The plans were drawn up by Basel-based architects Christ & Gantenbein. The modern design – featuring a façade made of 170,000 red and 50,000 white bricks (colours of the Swiss national flag) – presents a striking counterbalance to the historical over-a-century-old Lindt & Sprüngli factory building while fitting perfectly into the existing surroundings.

Located in close proximity to Zurich and with good transport links to the city, the “Lindt Home of Chocolate” is set to become one of the main tourist attractions in the area – a day-trip destination for tourists, families and chocolate fans from Switzerland and abroad.

The “Lindt Home of Chocolate” is located at the famous address Schokoladeplatz 1 (Chocolate Square 1), right next to the historic factory building, which was built in 1899 by Rudolf Sprüngli-Schifferli – son of the founder of the first “Sprüngli & Sons” chocolate café in Zurich. In the same year, he bought the Bern-based Lindt chocolate factory from Rudolf Lindt, the famous Swiss chocolate manufacturer and inventor. It was Rudolf Lindt who developed the conching machine for producing chocolat fondant, the world’s first soluble chocolate. Through emulsification at a strictly controlled temperature, conching gave chocolate a finer consistency and a more refined taste. Thus, the company Lindt & Sprüngli AG was established, which later evolved into the Lindt & Sprüngli Group. The Group’s head office is now located next door, at the same address.

„Lindt Home of Chocolate” in numbers:

• Address: Schokoladeplatz 1, Kilchberg, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland
• General contractor: Eiffage Group – Priora AG, Kloten (Switzerland)
• Architect: Christ & Gantenbein, Basel (Switzerland)
• Investor: „Lindt Chocolate Competence”
• Exhibition designer: Atelier Bruckner, Stuttgart (Germany)
• Dimensions: 93 m length x 45 m width x 20 m height
• Depth of excavation for foundations: 8 m
• Number of above-ground storeys: 3
• Number of underground storeys: 2
• Number of parking spaces: 270
• Planned opening: 2020
• Number of visitors: 350,000 annually