Evoq: House of Diakonie is realized
With approximately 77 percent voting in favor, the Reformed Parish of Zurich approved the comprehensive renovation and conversion of the Wipkingen parish hall into the «Haus der Diakonie» (HDD). Evoq, the Zurich-based agency responsible for communications, and the project managers at the Reformed Church are pleased with the clear result.
The striking building directly on Rosengartenstrasse, once built as Zurich's first high-rise, has - after years of planning - been given the green light for refurbishment. Evoq Communications in Zurich was commissioned to provide communications support for the project. The main medium of the information campaign is a website specially designed for the planned use. Under House-of-diaconia.ch future visitors will have their say, the most important milestones of the project will be presented and open questions will be answered transparently. The website will continue to provide information on the status of the overall renovation and interim uses of the large terrace. The opening of the "HDD" is planned for 2027.
Other important activities in the run-up to the vote on the 50 million project included events, guided tours and a public exhibition. Interested parties and residents were able to contribute their ideas and wishes for the HDD in a participatory process. Shortly before the building application and the vote, the neighborhood was invited to an information event and an exhibition about the renovation and use. In further events, the responsible project team from the Reformed Church of Zurich provided information within the church circles entitled to vote.
Flyers, posters, social media posts and house tours were the corresponding communication tools and offers that Evoq developed and implemented. The style of communication and the voting campaign was deliberately designed to be informative and thus tailored to the characteristics of the target group.
Evoq designed the voting brochure for the actual referendum in collaboration with illustrator Benjamin Güdel and copywriter Marc Lustenberger. Around 65,000 copies of the brochures were sent to the members of the parish together with the official voting documents by the Zurich State Chancellery.
Responsible at Reformed Church Zurich: Philipp Nussbaumer (project manager), Christian Schwarz (media officer), Fabian Kramer (press officer), Nathalie Aeschbacher (construction project management), Dominic Zurbrügg (design), Franzisca Vattolo (conception), Jonathan Gut (production). Responsible at Evoq Communications: Adrian Schaffner (project management, concept, text), Markus Wohlhüter (creative direction), Gianluca Flütsch, Kira Riccius (design), Dominique Haussener (web concept), Corinne Brunner (screen design), Giannina Binder (motion design, front-end programming), Marcel Marty (back-end programming).
