As reported by Tages-Anzeiger, the pension fund of retailer Coop (CPV) is planning to demolish Komplex 457 to build a new, 60-meter-high-rise with 135 rental apartments, 200 hotel rooms, and commercial spaces. The project called “Letziterassen” is designed by the renowned architectural bureau Herzog & de Meuron.
According to the report, the intermediate future of Komplex 457 is unclear. The rental contract runs until the end of January 2027, and demolition is scheduled to begin immediately after. However, Tages-Anzeiger wasn’t able to get a comment from Komplex’s managing director, Domenico Macchia.
Komplex 457 opened in 2011 in a former factory hall and has a capacity of 2000 attendees. Later, it also opened the Komplex Klub in the basement, which previously housed a strip club. Negative White hosted a concert and party there in 2013.
The fate of Komplex 457 is neither new nor surprising: gentrification is endangering live music venues not only in Zurich but in major cities worldwide.
Nevertheless, 2000-person-capacity venues are crucial for internationally successful artists outside the mainstream, especially rock acts, says Frank Lenggenhager, independent music promoter. Venues like Komplex or X-Tra provide the perfect size for acts that can pull a decent crowd, but not fill an arena like Zurich’s Hallenstadion or St. Jakobshalle in Basel.
And speaking of X-Tra with about 1500 capacity: In June 2027, X-Tra has to vacate its current location at the Limmathaus in central Zurich. An alternative location hasn’t been found yet.
But according to Lenggenhager, the 2000-capacity is tricky to be an effective multipurpose space, because for business events like general assemblies or conventions, it’s rather small.
Alternative solutions, like two smaller shows back-to-back, are probably not the solution either, as bands will rightfully ask a higher fee. Maybe concert promoters will adopt other venues, such as ice hockey arenas; however, because they lack the infrastructure, production costs will increase, and the experience will still fall short of the quality expectations of both attendees and artists.
As old, repurposed buildings get demolished, cultural spaces vanish forever. The general lack of political will to protect these spaces is glaring but obvious in the face of Zurich’s housing crisis. However, let’s be honest here, there will certainly not be affordable housing in a newly built Herzog & de Meuron project.
We have reached out to several concert promoters for a statement.
