Boltshauser Architekten AG, Zürich

Conversion of the Papieri site in Cham

Cham - Svizzera - 2025

Housing, commerce and culture in the former paper machine production halls

Converted industrial buildings often have a special bit of magic. Spacious rooms, raw materials, expansive sites and the charm of past centuries form the canvas for a small-scale, lively new urban space concept. In the Swiss town of Cham on the northern shore of Lake Zug, a similar transformation is currently underway at the Papieri site. Part of this site includes the machine production halls of a historic paper factory, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century and was still in operation until 2015. The renowned Zurich-based firm Boltshauser Architekten has now transformed the PM 1-4 building complex into a unique address for culture, commerce, residential lofts and studios. Maintaining the industrial character was at the heart of the renovation process. This is accompanied by window and door elements with hot-dip galvanised steel profiles from Forster, which aptly invoke the existing architecture.

unico Porte and unico xs Finestre - Conversion of the Papieri site in Cham located in Cham, Svizzera

Hot-dip galvanised mullion windows with forster unico xs and door portals with forster unico Hi

The tradition of papermaking in Cham dates back to the middle of the 17th century, when hydropower from the Lorze River was first used for a paper mill. Passed down through generations, the business became industrial in scope over time. With the arrival of the first Hollander beater – the machine that processes the fibres – the demand for adequate premises for the ever-increasing production also increased. The mixture of factory buildings, machine production halls, workshops and homes grew into an impressive industrial site. From 1913 onwards, the first Hollander beater building was built east of the Lorze, with paper machine production halls 1-4 added over the next 30 years. A new chapter in their use has now begun.