‘We are proud to be part of the Swiss Life Arena’

Also on board is ISS Facility Services AG, which was commissioned by the ZSC Lions to manage facility operations at the arena. And right in the thick of it is Claudia Bregy, Senior Key Account Manager. A native of Valais, she has been working with the client since the very beginning.

Claudia Bregy, you’re the account manager for the new Swiss Life Arena. As a ZSC fan, the new arena must be more than “just” a client project…

I grew up in Leukerbad, and the ice rink was a favorite hangout for us kids. From the first ice practice in July through the end of the season in April, we’d watch the national and international hockey teams train from the boards and cheer them on during the games. Since moving to Zurich, I’ve been attending ZSC games with my partner, who’s also an ice hockey fan. For ISS, the Swiss Life Arena is a flagship project located right next to ISS headquarters in Zurich Altstetten. We’re proud to be part of this arena.

You’ve known the FM for many years from various perspectives. What makes a sports facility like the Swiss Life Arena so special?

The Swiss Life Arena operates 365 days a year. The facility sets new standards in terms of size, technology, and usage. The property covers 28,000 square meters and is massive in scale: the arena is 170 meters long and 110 meters wide. Up to 1,000 hockey players use the training center. In addition to National League games, the arena also hosts major events; this year, for example, it will host the Floorball World Championship from November 5–13, 2022.

In addition, the arena offers conference rooms and private boxes for business and private events and features various dining areas. At the heart of the new building is its state-of-the-art building services technology. The complex systems and trades must be perfectly coordinated to ensure that the supply of electricity and water, as well as ventilation, heating, and cooling, functions flawlessly in all areas and rooms. Both the training hall and the arena place high demands on the indoor climate. A total of 27 ventilation systems ensure an ideal indoor climate in the arena - for both the athletes and the 12,000 spectators.

What qualities must employees bring to the table when working at the Swiss Life Arena?

Depending on daily operations, we employ between five and forty skilled workers at the Swiss Life Arena. In such a dynamic environment, we need flexible and proactive employees who have a good understanding of the ever-changing daily demands. But they also need to be willing to work irregular shifts and, most importantly, enjoy sports. In building services, we were able to recruit André Bielmann, an experienced building services technician who himself played for many years in Switzerland’s top two ice hockey leagues. What a stroke of luck!

What were and are the biggest challenges?

The distances within this massive stadium. This means we have to walk long distances. Finding our way around was also difficult at first. On game and event days, we work into the early morning hours - this is extremely demanding and requires not only good planning but also physical stamina.

Last winter, construction was delayed due to defective screws in the roof structure. As a result, Andreas Dannmeyer, Implementation Project Manager, had to coordinate the time-sensitive areas of technology, recruitment, and supply management even more closely with our specialist departments. In the area of building services, Bruno Wolf, Head of Technology, and his team invested 350 hours in training and acceptance testing. Closely monitoring all processes helped the technicians understand the interrelationships and dependencies and drive the implementation forward. At the same time, Project Manager Adriana Sanmiguel recruited and trained over 70 employees for cleaning services. To avoid supply bottlenecks, work materials, equipment, and uniforms had to be ordered well in advance.

Communication and coordination with the many companies and partner - especially in the area of building services - remain challenging to this day. We strive to work as closely as possible with all stakeholders on the premises, first and foremost, of course, with the ZSC Lions FM organization.

How did the opening on October 18, 2022, go?

We prepared meticulously for this day by anticipating every possible scenario. About ten days before the official opening, two test games took place. This allowed us to test the technology in real time, optimize the cleaning schedules, and rearrange the logistics for transporting materials within the building. As a result, we were well-prepared when 12,000 visitors attended the opening game at the stadium on October 18.

What are you most proud of from this project?

I’m pleased that we were able to introduce an innovative event planning tool at the Swiss Life Arena, one that we can also use in other stadiums in the future. But I was particularly impressed by the team’s performance. Every employee went the extra mile. We were all aware that the demands were extremely high, but everyone’s enthusiasm for this unique project was palpable.

ISS Services at the Swiss Life Arena

Since September 2022, ISS has been responsible for facility management at the new arena for the ZSC Lions. This complex assignment at Switzerland’s most modern sports and event arena encompasses all building systems (plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, building automation), event electrical services during arena operations, cleaning in the stadium and at various events, as well as outdoor grounds maintenance and winter services across 13,000 square meters.