The foundation stone for the QUBO in Sarnen was laid on Monday. The construction work for two interconnected buildings began. On the one hand, Eberli AG is modernizing and expanding its existing headquarters there. On the other hand, the Obwaldner Kantonalbank ( OKB ) is building a new building. Above all, the Startup Pilatus association should find space there. It promotes the settlement of start-ups in Obwalden. Both buildings are to merge into one unit through a central entrance, according to a press release by OKB.
“The QUBO will create a new, lively workplace in Sarnen,” the CEO of OKB, Bruno Thürig, is quoted as saying. “It creates space for new concepts and ideas in which the digital world of work and New Work can be lived.”
Accordingly, coworking workplaces, open spaces and various meeting rooms would also be offered in the new building. The OKB itself will set up a room as a creative lab. The room should also be available to external companies.
The redesign of the office space also enables Eberli AG to “work in a contemporary and efficient manner”, says CEO Alain Grossenbacher. In addition to Eberli AG, the future co-owner of the building, Orfida Treuhand + Revisions AG, and werkunion ag will also settle there. Architekturwerk ag, which is responsible for the architecture of the QUBO, belongs to it.
The latest innovation center in the Alpine region is currently being built in Graubünden. The groundbreaking ceremony for the InnoQube Swiss was celebrated on Friday in the Rossboden area of Chur. According to a notification , the project will be fully financed by the Liechtenstein- based ITW group of companies . It specifies the total investment at around CHF 25 million.
The CEO of the investor and project developer, Dr. Martin Meyer, is convinced that this will create “a place of innovation, inspiration and progress that will become known far beyond the Swiss borders”. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the operating company InnoQube Swiss AG, Franco Quinter, emphasizes that the InnoQube Swiss is viewed as a temporary or permanent “base camp for innovations”. The offer is aimed “specifically at start-ups, spin-offs and companies from research, development and digitization”. “The key issues of health and performance would play a decisive role”.
Completion is planned for the end of 2023. From 2024 research and work will be carried out in the four-story InnoQube on a total area of 11,200 square meters. It offers flexible office space for around 300 workplaces, various co-working and meeting rooms, an event arena, a restaurant and a daycare center.
The city council of Schlieren has initiated an extended strategic plan for the Zelgli school complex. According to the city council news, the increasing number of students makes new planning necessary. In order to optimally determine the future development of the Zelgli school complex, the city council approved a loan for a feasibility study in July 2019. In April 2020, based on the current figures, two to four additional classrooms, two additional kindergartens and a triple after-school care center were planned. As early as September 2020, the latest figures showed that four new classrooms, two kindergartens and a quadruple day-care center are needed, according to the city council news.
Structural adjustments are therefore necessary, such as enlarging the teachers’ room or installing additional sanitary facilities. Due to the changed order volume, a loan is now required for strategic planning. The city council has now approved it with 80,000 francs.
According to the detailed message about the city council resolutions available on the website of the city of Schlieren, the school space requirements are calculated and planned twice a year based on the currently known data. The first order for spatial planning and open space planning with a volume of around 39,000 francs has already been placed with Metron Architektur AG in Brugg AG.
The Halter AG construction group is teaming up with the UBS Sima real estate fund as an investor and future builder to implement the VIVO Aesch project. According to the press release , the legally binding building permit for a new development with residential, commercial and commercial use at the northern entrance to the municipality of Aesch is available. The 15,188 square meter area was used by the previous landowner Victus Real Estate AG as a material storage and transshipment point.
The new mixed-use development is to be built by 2024, with around 85 percent of the main area being intended for residential use. According to a press release, after the development phase was completed in July, Halter AG was able to win an investor in Balintra for VIVO Aesch. Balintra AG in Basel is a real estate company owned by the UBS Sima real estate fund.
The new property owner will transfer the project with an investment volume of around 150 million Swiss francs as builder together with Halter as developer and overall provider into the first construction phase from this autumn.
According to Halter, the project comprises four building units. The 40 meter high VIVOTower at the motorway turn marks the entrance to the municipality of Aesch. On the lower floors, the tower offers space for commercial use and the TowerCafe. In addition, 36 apartments and 80 rental apartments are planned.
The VIVOHof is another building with mixed use, with areas for small businesses and 36 rental apartments on the upper floors. The VIVOKamm comprises 57 rental apartments with south-facing terraces as well as a common room with access to the neighborhood square. VIVOQube offers a further 55 rental apartments on six floors, mostly maisonette apartments.
According to Halter AG, the start of marketing for the commercial space is in spring 2022, and for the apartments in spring 2023. Completion is planned for the third quarter of 2024.
Inventx has received the green light to expand its headquarters in Chur, according to a press release . The IT service provider wants to build a new building on the area of the old forestry workshop in the city center. This should offer space for more than 200 employees. In addition, there will be space in the new building for apartments, restaurants, a daycare center and the Chur city archive.
Inventx has been planning to expand its headquarters for four years. However, the project was delayed due to “objections from the neighborhood”. Ultimately, the complaints landed before the federal court. But she rejected this.
“We are pleased that the project can now finally be realized and that the fallow area in the city center is revitalized,” says Mayor Urs Marti (FDP) in the press release. “In addition, the project strengthens Chur as a business location in the long term and thus also strengthens the city’s position as an attractive ICT location,” he adds.
The groundbreaking ceremony for a new residential and commercial building was carried out on Wednesday afternoon on the area north of the Ilfiskreisel in Langnau iE. According to the media release , the construction company Halter AG from Schlieren will be realizing the development on behalf of the insurance company Visana Services AG as general contractor. In autumn 2023, Aldi Suisse is to move into its new retail space there, the first Aldi location in the upper Emmental. At the same time, the reference date for the rental apartments and other commercial space in the new building is.
According to Halter, the overall project provides for a mixed use of a retail space on the ground floor rented to Aldi Suisse, rental apartments and a proportion of commercial and office space for third parties. In addition, there is a public outside space as a central access area to the building on the south side and on the east side an outside space with play and lounge area that can only be used by the tenants. The delivery area for the shop is on the west side and the entrance to the parking garage is on the north side.
One floor has an Aldi staff room as well as nine rental apartments and a commercial unit. A further 16 rental apartments with their own loggia or terrace are being built on the two floors above. Cellar and technical rooms as well as an underground car park with around 80 parking spaces are planned for the two basement floors.
Around a hundred years ago, goods were being handled at the port of Enge on Lake Zurich. Today the Enge harbor promenade is an important link between the arboretum and the honeycomb garden, characterized by a narrow promenade, a kiosk and a spacious public parking lot. With the relocation of the 127 parking spaces to a nearby new building, there is now the opportunity to redesign and upgrade the Enge harbor promenade.
After the participation process, the City of Zurich launched a project competition in autumn 2020, which was concluded in May 2021. The competition task comprised the redesign as a harbor promenade including a replacement building for the kiosk with toilet facilities as well as preparatory work for a planned underground seawater center (pumping station).
The winning project is “Porto Stretto” by the Schmid Kuhn Landscape Architects Working Group, Zurich, and Loeliger Strub Architektur GmbH, Zurich. In its overall concept, the project combines the Mythenquai, the honeycomb garden and the arboretum with the varied sequence of promenades and parks. It gives the Enge harbor promenade its own identity. A restrained equipment should allow adjustments to constantly changing usage requirements.
The kiosk, which is designed as a red, iconic wooden structure, underlines the character of the port facility. The generally accessible arbor of the kiosk with a long bench offers covered seating with a view of the lake at any time of the year. A light poplar grove should provide shade. Perennials and shrubs, unsealed soil and a well should contribute to the urban nature and a good local climate.
The city has already started the project planning work. Construction will actually start as soon as the parking spaces can be relocated – probably at the beginning of 2026.
Six buildings in a park-like setting with natural names such as “Libellenhof”, “Eulenhof” or “Froschhof”. Around 10,000 square meters of space for commercial and office space and space for 331 rental apartments. Energy efficient building standard. A park-like environment, car-free zones, beautiful courtyards, meeting places and playgrounds. Urban flair through bistros, shops, a fitness center, a supermarket, a daycare center and medical practices. Relaxation, liveliness and an inspiring environment. That is what the Quartier Höfe Adliswil should be when it is completed in 2024.
The Libellenhof and Hummelhof buildings should be ready for occupancy as early as 2022. The Libellenhof is located in the west of the area. The L-shaped structure is the gateway to the Höfe district. On the ground floor there is a supermarket, a daycare center and other services. Office space and apartments are available on the upper floors. The 56 apartments in the Libellenhof have spacious floor plans, the atrium apartments are loft-style and have roof terraces. The Hummelhof is on the east side of the quarter. Commercial space is planned on the ground floor, office space and 53 apartments on the upper floors.
In the course of 2023, the Amselhof and the Schwalbenhof right next to it should be ready for occupancy. The Amselhof forms the south-eastern boundary of the quarter. The trapezoidal structure has a large inner courtyard. Commercial space is planned on the ground floor, office space and 68 apartments on the upper floors. The Schwalbenhof wants to appeal to tenants – double earners with or without children, singles, expats – who are looking for exclusive quality of living.
The Froschhof and the Eulenhof are to be built by 2024. The Froschhof is also mainly intended for living. The smaller Eulenhof with only 16 apartments offers tenants a lot of privacy.
Manufakt creates a brand that stands for modular building complexes with flexible use by high-value, manufacturing industries. Manufakt is characterized by its local roots as well as regional and national networking. The powerful and clear structures radiate the greatest possible physical presence. In addition to a concise external effect, Manufakt always focuses on the corresponding internal effect and specifically focuses on modular and networked open spaces and atmosphere. On July 1, 2021, the imposing Manufakt8048 commercial property, which was built on one of the last vacant industrial sites in the city of Zurich, was officially opened after around one and a half years of construction. The building, which is located directly on the track field at Zurich Altstetten station and was built for the client Swisscanto Investment Foundation, is exemplary. Because with the innovative concept and the Manufakt brand, Steiner AG is bringing commercial and service companies back to the city.
The Manufakt concept can be applied to several locations.
Curated networking “For us, Manufakt stands for quality craftsmanship of the future, for Industry 4.0, the digitization of industrial production,” says Peter Herzog, Head of Real Estate Development for Zurich at Steiner. The “curated networking” of the Manufakt buildings is to be understood in a double sense: in addition to the digital, the analogue networking in the building, which takes place in particular via the open courtyard, is to be promoted. And Othmar Ulrich, Head of Real Estate Development Region East, adds: “We offer industry and commerce an environment that gives tenants the opportunity to further expand their network. We imagine that the buildings will be played with a choreography. ” The manufacturing concept is currently also being used in Wädenswil and Winterthur. In Wädenswil (Appital area), a development for trade, research and offices will be built by 2024. The name was chosen based on the postcode of Wädenswil Au: Manufakt8804. More information: www.manufakt8804.ch.
The city of Uster wants to create a culture and meeting center on the arsenal area. An architecture competition was announced for this in autumn 2018. The jury awarded the “KUZU” project by EM2N Architects, Zurich, with first place and recommended the project to the city council for further processing.
The “KUZU” project complements the existing armory with two simple buildings that differ in size and structure: the “Culture Shelf” and the “Culture Hall”. The old building will remain, the historical substance will only be minimally rebuilt and renovated.
The eastern new building, the culture shelf, forms the new face of the city. It is planned as an open structure with redensification potential. A cladding made of corrugated polycarbonate sheets and wood should make the building appear light and permeable. A small hall with a stage and 120 seats, a restaurant, two small cinema halls with a bar and an exhibition room are planned for the culture shelf. The small hall and the cinema halls are to replace the Ustermer Kulturhaus Central, which will be demolished in the next few years.
A large event hall with 700 seats is to be built in the new western building, the Kultursaal. A parking garage is planned underneath. The culture hall is to serve as a replacement for the outdated city courtyard hall. The structure of the culture hall is filled with prefabricated concrete elements and thus appears more massive and closed than the culture shelf.
The buildings should be in an open courtyard figure, the “culture courtyard”, to each other. This should help with orientation and create a common center, where synergies of the different uses should also arise.
In the next two years or so, the project is to be concretized to such an extent that the population of Uster can definitely decide on the redesign and the building loan. The opening of the new culture and meeting center is planned for 2028.
It is a long way from the idea to marketable innovation – especially in the construction industry. There is a gap between technologies that work in the laboratory and the market that demands well-engineered and reliable products. The modular research and innovation building NEST of the Swiss research institutes Empa and Eawag aims to close this gap.
The NEST (Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies) was opened in 2016 and is located on the Empa campus in Dübendorf. The building consists of a building core with three cantilevered platforms. Temporary, thematically different building modules, so-called units, can be installed on it. In this way, research teams, architectural offices and companies from the construction industry can test and develop materials, technologies, products, energy concepts and usage concepts together at NEST. In the sense of a “living lab”, the installed units are actually used living and working environments. The “HiLo” unit is currently under construction on the top platform of NEST. Construction started in summer 2019. The unit is intended to demonstrate the possibilities in lightweight construction. In addition to an innovative roof construction, material-saving lightweight floors and an adaptive solar facade are used. During operation, the building technology is to be continuously optimized with the help of machine learning. The unit will officially open on October 6, 2021.
The two-story “STEP2” unit is also being planned. Business and research partners implement them together in an open innovation approach. After its completion, which is planned for summer 2022, it will serve as an interdisciplinary innovation workshop and office environment. The unit’s central projects include a spiral staircase in the shape of a human spine, a building envelope that adapts to the external conditions, and a floor ceiling made with 3D printing.
It all started with a concept competition: Think Architecture AG and Koch Kommunikation AG won the race from three participating architecture firms: “It was a successful attempt to integrate marketing into the project from the very beginning and not later in the process,” remembers Corinne Ruoss , Team Leader Development at Mobimo. The outside space of the condominiums was given a very high weight. The floor plans are modern, functional and flexible. The apartments attract with a generous outside space of at least 14 square meters and a fireplace. The living space climate in the building (Eco) as well as the energy balance (Minergie) play a central role: “The building is planned in accordance with the Minergie Eco standard. A spacious staircase is naturally illuminated with daylight. And the vertically structured wooden facade with wooden slats is a particular eye-catcher. The balconies are integrated into the facade, so that when viewed from the outside, there is a unity, ”adds Ruoss.
In-house electricity and e-mobility A photovoltaic system on the roof generates in-house electricity, and the parking spaces in the underground car park are intended for e-mobility. Based on the “garden city”, the use of natural materials is planned. Native plants are provided for good biodiversity, there is a butterfly meadow on the balcony roofs (intensive greening), and only a few sealed areas are planned. There is a flowing transition to the surroundings with soft shapes, trees and bushes. Seen in this way, the estate fits perfectly with Mobimo’s selection of project locations, with an urban or suburban location and good access to public transport: “In the implementation, convincing architecture and a high standard of construction are important to us, and we also pay close attention to sustainability … and yes: A good price-performance ratio is ultimately decisive for the response on the market. “
A city quarter on top of an art museum? This is not a typo, but a reality: In Regensdorf, the investment foundations Turidomus, Adimora and Pensimo have planned a new type of living and working concept. Zwhatt is the name – and it stands for social, cultural, ecological and architectural diversity. The cemented art museum of the Fondation Riklin is located in the foundation of the city quarter, which is being built on 3.6 hectares directly at the Regensdorf-Watt train station.
On behalf of the aforementioned investment foundations, Pensimo Management AG is realizing around 600 rental apartments and commercial space around central Zwhattplatz in two construction phases. The first construction phase envisages around 400 apartments, 12,000 square meters of commercial space and 330 underground parking spaces. The rental of the first apartments is scheduled to begin in autumn 2021.
A total of seven buildings are planned, two of which are high-rise buildings. The Riklin Foundation was set up in January by the St. Gallen conceptual artists Frank and Patrik Riklin. In Zwhatt, art is becoming the DNA of a new city quarter – it is supposed to lay a new foundation for social cohesion.
Pilot project for climate-adapted area development Residents from Regensdorf, Adlikon and Watt gave the two artists everyday items such as suitcases, lamps and rocking horses. These were then reassembled with other suitcases, lamps and rocking horses, or rather “latticed”. The works of art created in this way were sunk into the foundation of the museum. Later they will be brought back to life using augmented reality.
The new city quarter should meet the need for mobility, flexibility and freedom as well as the desire for community and home. Different lifestyles, family models and types of consumption are expressly encouraged. Zwhatt stands for the encounter with diversity. And this motto does not stop at the architecture either: the interpretation limits of the design plan were explored using a so-called Charrette process. 100 architects, urban planners and experts took part in the preselection in 2018. In the end, five teams were selected to help shape the project. The architects of the first construction phase were also evaluated using unusual methods such as the sufficiency pitch.
Zwhatt is a pilot project for the federal government’s climate-adapted area development. The district draws its energy from the groundwater and the electricity from its own photovoltaic systems. In the case of high-rise buildings, panels are also integrated into the facades. The mobility concept provides for a small number of parking spaces and thus low-car living. The desired mobility is made possible by sharing offers for electric cars and e-bikes. Co-working spaces, shops and restaurants directly on the site support this concept. The first occupancy is planned for 2023.
The bird’s eye view shows the size of the construction project.
The new city quarter should be attractive for future residents as well as for the Bülach residents who are already living there. “An exciting quarter has been developed,” says Mark Eberli, Mayor of Bülach, “and it will work well with the good mix of residential and commercial.”
Lots of space to live.
Urban density The former glassworks area impresses with its excellent geographical location, right next to the train station and in close proximity to the feeder to the cantonal highway A51. A major challenge was to structure the high structural density with an appropriate urban and architectural concept so that an interesting and versatile living and working space is created in this urban location. Thanks to an alley-like development concept as well as an attractive and varied outdoor space with green areas and well thought-out neighborhood squares, the people in the Glasi Quarter will receive a valuable compensation for the structural density.
Construction is currently being carried out at the highest heights.
Move in from 2023 A broad mix of apartments is being created in the Glasi Quarter, including inexpensive cooperative apartments as well Includes condominiums. These can be inhabited by singles, couples, families and shared apartments. Areas for retail and trade, a care center with apartments for the elderly, a charitable social institution and a day nursery are already let. A substantial proportion of commercial space offers space for shops, craft businesses, offices and restaurants. There are some impressions around.
2021 Eulachpassage castling In summer 2020, the ZHAW Health Department will move from the Eulachpassage to the new Adeline Favre building on the Sulzer site. The ZHAW School of Engineering will temporarily use the space in the Eulachpassage as a Rochade building, while the new Technikumstrasse campus will be built over the next few years.
2023 laboratory building RD A unique center for food and beverage technology will be built on the Reidbach campus in Wädenswil by summer 2023. The new building not only unites the ZHAW Institute for Food and Beverage Innovation in one place, but also the entire value chain of the food industry. In the future, food and beverages will be researched here, from raw materials to the market.
Construction time: 2019-2023 Architecture: Leutwyler Partner Arch.
2024-2034 Campus T The ZHAW School of Engineering is getting a new, attractive campus with a park on the Technikumstrasse site in Winterthur. The buildings and green space required for this will be implemented in four stages by 2035.
The first includes the two new laboratory buildings TT (2024) and TL (2027), with laboratory, teaching and office space as well as a cafeteria and a public park with access to the Eulach. In the longer term, all buildings around the main building by Theodor Gohl (1878), which is worthy of protection, and the east building by Hermann Fietz (1908) are to be replaced by new buildings. For the second stage, the renovation and densification of the building complex with the east and chemical building TE / TZ (2029) is planned.
In the third stage, the historic main building TH (2032) will be renewed and expanded to the south. In the final fourth stage, the physics building is to be replaced by the new laboratory building TP (2035), provided that the old building by Hans Suter (1960) is removed from the inventory of buildings worthy of protection.
2025 Shedhalle Reidbach The ZHAW has been renting the former factory premises of the Wädenswil AG cloth factory since 1999. As soon as the so-called shed halls have been converted, they will be used from 2025, for example, as a new university library as well as learning and common rooms for students from the ZHAW Department of Life Sciences and Facility Management.
Construction period: 2023-2025
2033-2034 Rochade Eulachpassage and meander In the long term, the ZHAW Department of Applied Linguistics will settle on the Eulachpassage and make room in the meander for the ZHAW School of Management and Law, which is to expand entirely on the St.-Georgen-Platz campus.
In the heart of the city of Zurich is the university area with the knowledge and health clusters of the University Hospital Zurich (USZ), the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich – three successful institutions with a high international reputation. The spatial proximity of the three institutions offers unique opportunities for intensive cooperation, which brings about innovations in research, teaching and medical care. However, numerous buildings in the Zurich center university area no longer meet the requirements of modern hospital, research and teaching operations. The infrastructure has reached its capacity limits. With the generation project at the Zurich Center University Area (HGZZ), the infrastructure of the USZ, UZH and ETH Zurich is being improved and the leading position of the institutions is being secured.
Common vision The “Zurich Center University Area” building project is a Herculean task: “There are three levels of government (federal, canton and city) and three institutions (university, university hospital, ETH) involved,” says Roman Bächtold, head of the HGZZ office, which is responsible for the various projects in the Coordinated university area. “Getting the interests and needs of all these players under one roof, right in the center of Zurich, was and is a special challenge. The potential is enormous. If it succeeds, the population will benefit far beyond Zurich, and not just today and tomorrow, but across generations. ” Zurich has a unique knowledge and health cluster that integrally combines research, teaching and health care in a very small space. It is important to secure and strengthen this advantage. This shared vision made it possible to unite the parties. That was and remains demanding and time-consuming.
Upgrading the quarter The planning goes way back. The main milestones were the location decision in September 2011, the elaboration of a master plan (2012/2013), its approval in August 2014, the tendering and implementation of the study contract for the urban space concept HGZZ (2016/2017). But the adoption of a joint white paper in March 2018 was also an important stopover on the way to our destination. The University of Zurich can be recognized from afar by its green dome. Will it stay that way? – «The green dome remains. But the quarter will be massively upgraded, greener, more accessible, more liveable, ”says Bächtold. And he adds: “There are hardly any projects in Switzerland that are so complex and varied. You come into contact with countless stakeholders from politics, business, the population and the media. This great challenge is appealing and exciting ».
An innovative project that aims to respond to a new way of conceiving spaces, the Arbed Smart Center in Castione will rise in the center of Ticino, on the Milan-Zurich axis, a stone's throw from the train station and motorway junctions as well as 10 minutes from 'drive from Bellinzona.
The ASC is a futuristic project because it combines technological innovation with the offer of living and working. The project is specifically aimed at business travel and is made by entrepreneurs and professionals such as engineers, researchers or doctors, who travel to Ticino to expand their knowledge or start new projects.
Three blocks for working and living The ASC consists of 2 main blocks whose construction is underway on an area of 10'000 square meters. A work space with technologically equipped modular meeting rooms and a smart living area, with about 70 units and green areas in which to organize events, conferences, business meetings, etc. The third block will be used for a hotel offer: about seventy rooms, including 34 suites, for a total of 80 beds.
The Center is accessible to everyone, even those who do not stay inside, and wants to be a connector between tourists and local authorities.
Technological innovation The guest of the Center is supported in all phases of their stay by a "customer centric" application with which they can book the restaurant, the Spa and the various services, obtain information in real time on all the activities to be carried out in the area and throughout Ticino.
Furthermore, through the App, you can easily carry out the check-in and check-out phases. In the suites, on the other hand, home automation, combined with the high-speed wi-fi connection, allows you to connect simply and immediately to all the devices in the room such as Smart TVs and appliances.
How did you come up with the idea of setting up a salmon farm in the Swiss Alps? Swiss Lachs contacted AFRY with the intention of producing salmon in a safe and sustainable way through an innovative, zero-kilometer farming, with the aim of recreating the entire supply chain in one place to allow the fish to live in a healthy environment. and controlled, minimizing both the environmental impact due to transport and the stress that this causes to the fish.
How did you choose the site and what did you do? Many factors had to be considered, also bearing in mind that in Switzerland a breeding facility must be located in an industrial area. and have access to abundant clean water. In addition, it must be able to return the purified farm water to a watercourse.
In Lostallo, an easily accessible place in an attractive landscape, an industrial area has been identified where it is possible to build the electrical and drainage infrastructures essential for livestock farming.
The project was followed by the AFRY team in all its phases, from the feasibility study to the final realization; including the construction phase up to the insertion of the first fish in the water.
Thanks to our skills, we were able to carry out most of the investigations internally; we checked the viability, assessed the presence of natural hazards and made agreements with the various authorities to have the necessary infrastructures built. After the confirmation of the feasibility we applied for the permits and the construction license. A lot of weight has been given to the study of the environmental impact.
What characteristics should an industrial building have? In an industrial building, production and the plant to guarantee it have priority. Construction is not just a container but an integral part of the process. The safety of workers, the concept of hygiene, the study of work procedures, the planned and extraordinary maintenance of the plant, are principles that the designers had to study and consider in depth in their work.
How did the construction phase go and which stage was the most challenging? 15 months have passed from the beginning of the works to the introduction of the first fish in the water. After a careful analysis with the team of engineers, we opted for a prefabricated concrete structure that provided advantages in terms of both costs and construction times while respecting the needs of the designer. 34-meter concrete trusses were built, since due to the presence of the large tanks it was not possible to erect pillars inside the building. The structure by elements ensured the necessary flexibility during the construction phase, since the plants had different delivery times.
It was a great challenge that required a considerable commitment both in the design and construction phase, which was won to the great satisfaction of all.
With its 90 meters high and 22 floors, the New York Flatiron Building was conceived by architect Daniel Burnham over a hundred years ago, to actually fill an area with a curious triangular shape.
A construction with a steel frame that was able to distinguish itself from the other buildings precisely for the characteristics of its architecture: a three-sided tower which, at the tip in its narrowest part, had a walkable surface of just 2 meters, so as to look like a gigantic iron, “Flatiron” in fact. A work with an original architectural solution that aroused a lot of uproar at the time, so much so that the project was baptized “the madness of Burnham”.
The construction was completed in just one year and the Fuller Building – this was the original name of the skyscraper, from the company that commissioned its construction (Fuller Construction & Co.) – was immediately renamed with its nickname, Flatiron .
Since 1902 (when it was finished) its reputation has never waned and several prestigious companies have chosen this location to locate their offices.
The building from another perspective.
A version adapted to the territory It is precisely the charisma of this symbol of New York – one of the most loved and photographed buildings – that inspired the Benzi Group to re-propose one of its facsimiles in Lugano, adapting it to the triangular plan and with the proper proportions for the site on which it stands.
It is a building with six residential floors and a panoramic green terrace overlooking the lake in the Viganello district, between via al Lido and via Muggina: in total, 18 apartments of different sizes (from 1.5 to 3.5 rooms).
The silhouette of the building is sinuous and elegant and its curved lines recall the shapes of nature, the sun and the moon, distinguishing itself from the rational and geometric canons of other nearby modern buildings.
The glass facade was made with the latest generation of metals and offers effective solar protection thanks to an intelligent weather station that detects temperatures and automatically adjusts the shading according to individual needs. A photovoltaic system was installed on the roof which minimizes the energy consumption of the building (also equipped with a cooling system), with thermal insulation of all surfaces.
Latest generation technologies and interior design with attention to the smallest details – making use of the best brands of kitchens, bathroom furniture and prestigious coatings – make the Flat Iron Viganello apartments of the highest living standing.
Exactly 20 years have passed since the first green cladding on the facade of a hotel near the Champs Élysées in Paris started a new development area for bio-architecture: vertical gardens. An architecture of biodiversity that considers man in relation to other living species and inserts a new element in urban continuity. This desire to introduce a small innovative element to the city was the basis of the Residenza 99 project created by the Luca Gazzaniga Architetti studio.
Urban concept The Municipality of Massagno and those responsible for planning have turning off via San Gottardo into a new artery with an urban character with moderate traffic.
In order to mitigate and interrupt the hard and compact front of the buildings present, the project by Studio Gazzaniga has tried to define – through a green, lively and natural facade – a new transition between the living space and the street space.
The district with scarce vegetation is now found with a vertically planted surface that allows a new perception of the urban space thanks to elements that decorate and embellish the façade, to the benefit not only of the tenants but of the community.
The project Two buildings were built, with a shared garage and a mixed commercial and residential function. Yes you say- stand out for the different treatment of the facade towards the street: one with a vertical garden and the second with fiber cement panels.
The apartments are of various sizes, from 2.5 rooms up to large penthouses, some are intended for rent, others for sale.
The project had to resolve a duality: on the one hand, exposure to the sun and an open view of the city and the Gulf of Lugano, on the other the presence of a very busy road. The apartments have passed from north to south, a side where light and tranquility, silence and open views towards the lake predominate. The south fronts are completely glazed and open onto balconies equipped with Wintergarten-type loggias, real living spaces of intermediation between inside and outside.
The sleeping area of the apartments is located on the north side towards the street and has floor to ceiling windows. Residenza 99 is a modern and contemporary construction thanks also to the façade made with a vertical garden, which becomes the reference and identification element of the project with a patchwork design to be consistent with the architectural compositional concept.
The green wall is part of a built front with a very urban character.
Vertical green In nature, plants have the ability to adapt to a countless variety of surfaces and habitats. They grow on rocks, in deserts, in water and in very different climatic conditions. Their roots can be aerial, rooted on slopes and also on vertical elements.
Applying green elements to buildings is a practice that dates back thousands of years. With the Modern movement in the last century, the roof garden was considered a true “fifth facade”.
From the observations of these phenomena, the French botanist Patrick Blanc reinvented the technique of the modern vertical garden by spreading the culture of this type of green in urban spaces.
In areas of the city where there is no space to create green horizontally, vertical green can restore a situation of equilibrium with the built environment, constituting one of the aspects of the concept of green city. The aesthetic aspect is only one of the components and the vegetation becomes a manifesto of sustainability and re-appropriation of the relationship with nature.
In addition to the undeniable aesthetic aspects, linked to the blooms and the variation with the seasons, the vertical garden offers numerous advantages from the living and environmental point of view. In particular: it protects from solar radiation, captures fine dust, mitigates noise pollution, produces oxygen and improves air quality, is an element of protection of facades from atmospheric agents, natural insulation (from heat and cold) , improves privacy, creates a microclimate near the windows and promotes mental well-being (nature and beauty are essential to our inner balance and well-being).
Light modulation is an important element The transition between the external and internal space of the building is obtained with a series of filters that regulate the light transmitted inside the premises: brise soleil, translucent grilles and overhanging slabs, are characteristic elements that allow correct modulation of natural light.
The organization of the spaces is optimized to allow natural light to be diffused inside the apartments, generating an interesting play of light and visual relationships towards the surrounding landscape. In fact, the living area extends over the entire depth of the building, opening towards the two main facades to the east and west.
Historical building elements re-proposed in a contemporary vision For this project, brick, typical of Lombard architecture, was used as the basic element; the construction technique is resumed without imitating its past, proposing a new reading of it. The horizontal texture that testifies to the laying process of the base element is emphasized in the texture, thanks to the particular module (narrow and long) and the horizontal rear joint. The white paint changes the appearance of the brick itself, making it lighter and at the same time highlighting the precise play of shadows that characterize the texture of the facade.
The static structure of the building is made up of pillars while the internal divisions are resolved with plasterboard walls so as to allow greater flexibility of the interior spaces, ensuring freedom of composition and customization by the individual owners. The facades, which are ventilated for better energy efficiency, are composed of an internal structure, an insulation, an air layer and to finish an external cladding, in this case a very particular brick, painted white.
Architects Ugo Frueh and Luca Pagnamenta
A large green space that enhances the buildings The housing complex leaves plenty of space for greenery allowing the struito to integrate delicately into the living environment. The driveway is characterized by the presence of a green filter, which guarantees privacy for the rooms on the ground floor and which lightens the visual impact of the built volumes. To the east are a series of gardens flat private dines in front of the living rooms of the apartments on the ground floor while to the north, towards the playground of Savosa, there is an area for common use, embellished with a row of Japanese cherry trees.
The project meets the Minergie requirements The project is based on the concept of a building oriented to the minimum energy requirement, which also presupposes a better use of passive sources such as solar radiation to cover the heat demand. During the summer, to avoid excessive overheating, an automatic system provides for the lowering of the darkening systems for the facades most exposed to the sun.
The electricity produced by the photovoltaic panels is primarily destined for the common parts of the building, including the heat pumps for the production of domestic hot water and for heating. In case of excess energy production, it will be distributed to the owners of the apartments as “self-consumption”.
The production of domestic hot water is centralized and the heat is distributed through floor coils. There is also a gentle mechanical ventilation system that guarantees automatic air exchange in the rooms, recovering heat in the winter and cold in the summer: the centralized system allows light cooling, sending fresh water into the coils and guaranteeing a greater comfort thanks to the free-cooling system.
The interiors can be customized according to the taste of the buyer.
LICASA: a cooperative of artisans LICASA (Cooperativa Liberale per la Casa) is a non-profit organization founded over the years Ninety in order to collaborate in the control of the housing market in Ticino. A consolidated organization of local artisans who have decided to join together to give a guarantee of quality to the projects carried out. All members of the cooperative have a proven track record and work at competitive prices.
The statutes indicate the actions to favor its members access to housing with moderate rents according to the ad hoc public laws, as well as the purchase of housing at non-speculative market prices; where possible, members will also be favored for professional services regarding construction, thus guaranteeing the quality and reliability of the operation.
54 architectural firms, evaluated and selected by a jury chaired by architect Ivano Gianola and coordinated by architect Stefano Tibiletti, participated in the project competition organized with a public competition procedure for the construction of school buildings, in one phase. The project by the CHP studio (Campana-Herrmann-Pisoni) of Ascona, called “Sistema”, convinced the experts, which with its interdisciplinary group convinced above all for its urban strength, with a clear definition of the external spaces, volumes well calibrated and respectful of the surrounding space. Initially, we will proceed with the construction of the kindergarten and elementary school (with double gym), the headquarters of the SEPS (Special Early Education Service) and a Bibliomedia, and then a new home for the elderly will be added later. with 72 beds, for which requests for planning proposals at urban and planovolumetric level have already been included in the competition announcement.
Precisely for the different design contents, the client had highlighted the need to have an “intergenerational center” in the future, finding an answer in the project presented by the CHP studio, which tried to “clearly define the reciprocal relationships between the different buildings and the external areas, also in consideration of their specific destination, to better organize the entire site and favor the idea of meeting typical of an intergenerational center ».
Urban and architectural aspects Observing the winning project, it is clear that a future tree-lined avenue will start from the nucleus of Biasca to lead to the new intergenerational center, whose entrance threshold will be the square between the school porch and the front of the future home for the elderly.
The home for the elderly, the Bibliomedia, the elementary school and the gym will overlook a new public park. The double value of the gym is interesting, as it will have flexible contents and can also be used as a multipurpose room with one hundred seats. This is why the atrium will constitute a privileged meeting space favoring the synergies between the canteen, extra-curricular classrooms (lecture hall) and the gym.
View from inside the SI towards the gymnasium and the SE (left).
The second outdoor area provides play and socialization spaces for elementary school pupils, also for use by the community outside school hours. The building that houses the nursery school and the SEPS is instead characterized as a volume inserted in the park with its own precise identity, which responds to specific themes and programs. A more intimate garden was conceived for e- exclusive of these students.
For the future home for the elderly, an autonomous building has been proposed, with a square plan, with a geometry different from the other architectural bodies.
For the construction, the architects of the CHP studio envisaged the use of only two materials (reinforced concrete and wood) and a rational construction in stages, which also includes proposals for a future expansion of the SE and SI, should this be necessary.
There is currently a waiting period for environmentally friendly investments in real estate. Such investments are only tax-deductible five years after the property has been built. Last December, Councilor of States Roberto Zanetti (SP / SO) submitted a motion calling for this waiting period to be shortened.
In view of the high construction costs, the financial limits of especially younger builders for ecological measures in new buildings are understandable, writes Zanetti in his motion. If, after completion of the building, it turns out “that the corresponding ecologically desirable additional investments would be financially viable”, the owners will, however, in view of the five-year waiting period “be careful not to take these investments by hand immediately”. This is “regrettable from an ecological point of view,” says Zanetti.
The shortening of the waiting period called for by the SP Council of States can now be implemented. After support from the Federal Council and the adoption of the motion by the Council of States, the National Council has now “accepted the proposal without discussion”, the parliamentary services inform in a message . Now it is the Federal Council’s turn. He must create the legal basis for shortening the waiting period. In addition, different procedures between the cantons are to be harmonized so far.
The construction industry has proven to be crisis-resistant during the corona pandemic. According to a press release, the economic research and consulting institute BAK Economics expects building construction to grow by 0.4 percent this year. An increase of 0.6 percent is expected for 2022.
The prospects for construction activity vary between residential construction, commercial construction and infrastructure construction. While residential construction is increasing, commercial and public construction projects are recording slight losses. The demand for larger apartments is growing due to increased home work. In addition, the energetic renovations and the expected turnaround in interest rates are driving growth.
In contrast, the pandemic-induced decline in the number of public-sector construction projects is having an impact on infrastructure construction. The number of commercial construction projects is also falling, as many companies postpone or stop planned construction projects. Thanks to the current economic upturn, according to BAK Economics, an upturn in both areas can be expected in 2022.
Positive results in building construction are expected for the years 2023 to 2027. In commercial and infrastructure construction, the medium-term order situation should remain constant.
There are regional differences in overall construction activity: According to BAK Economics, the regions of Zurich / Aargau, the Lake Geneva region and central Switzerland have the best forecasts. The institute expects the Basel region to stagnate in the medium term.
In Zuchwil, the new residential and work area Riverside is now ready for occupancy. According to a press release , the first tenants will move into the Widi Huus and Sulzer Huus in October. The project of the Swiss Prime Investment Foundation is characterized by modern energy supply and traffic management as well as recreational opportunities. It was also developed by the Swiss Prime Investment Foundation in Olten as a “living space”. As a location in the country with all the amenities of an urban place. The new Riverside district combines living and working. The Aare in turn connects nature with the city. The quarter has direct access to the river.
According to Jérôme Baumann, President of the Board of Trustees of the Swiss Prime Investment Foundation, “120 apartments have already been rented. Only a few are available. ”The apartments offer a lot of quality of life. The Solothurn architect Benedikt Graf from gsj architects and agps architecture was quoted as saying that the choice of materials was "extremely careful". The heat generation for heating and water takes place sustainably via a groundwater heat pump. Natural cooling is in operation in summer.
All apartments are designed according to the guidelines of Procap Switzerland and are wheelchair accessible. There are individual charging stations for e-vehicles at the visitor parking spaces. The parking spaces in the underground car park can also be equipped with a charging station. All five houses of the first stage should be occupied by autumn 2022.
The property right at the entrance to the municipality is less than 10 kilometers away from the city of Winterthur and is still an idyllic piece of land, with a direct connection to the banks of the Töss and with a view of meadows and forest. The goals of the Energy Strategy 2050 are being built here. The Verde Blu development has been inhabited since autumn 2019. So far, so normal. It is noteworthy, however, that this development covers a large proportion of its energy requirements itself and that exclusively from renewable sources. “The specifications of the Energy Strategy 2050 are an opportunity for the real estate industry,” explains Dieter Stutz from Atlantis AG, which is active in the areas of environmental consulting, settlement planning and architecture and who developed the project. The heat supply via groundwater was the best and most convincing solution for the area. Atlantis planned and implemented this complex construction project together with EKZ.
Sustainable living as a need The new construction project Verde Blu with nine residential and commercial buildings comprises 108 condominiums as well as various commercial areas that are used by a Migros branch, a community and a physiotherapy practice, among other things. An old, listed barn serves as a common room and provides rustic charm on the site. In contrast to this is the state-of-the-art technology that supplies the system with energy: groundwater is used as a heat source for the heating and hot water, which supplies the houses with decentralized heat pumps via a so-called anergiering. An anergiering is a cold local heating system that, in contrast to conventional local heating systems, works with transfer temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius. Anergy networks therefore have no heat losses in the lines, but even generate additional energy gains from the ambient heat. In summer, the buildings can be passively cooled with the groundwater via the anergy ring.
A photovoltaic system, which is optimally designed to meet the needs of the building, provides the electrical energy for the building. The complex was only built after the apartments had already been occupied. Because they wanted to leave the decision for or against solar power to the owners. The fact that the system with a peak output of 100 kilowatts was approved by an overwhelming majority at the first owners’ meeting in winter 2019 speaks for itself. Martin Nicklas, who is responsible for modern energy solutions at EKZ, is not surprised: “In the real estate sector, we have long known the need to make a contribution to sustainability in the living area too.” A charging infrastructure for the 209 parking spaces was installed in the lower-level garage. Thanks to load curve management, it is possible to charge the cars in stages if a whole fleet of electric vehicles should one day populate the garage.
Well-coordinated system In Kollbrunn, power generation as well as heating and cooling generation and electromobility are combined in an integrated energy system. The centerpiece is an intelligent control system that maximizes the self-consumption rate and takes over load management. In this way, what is actually the most important goal can be achieved: that the electricity produced by the PV system is also consumed as much as possible on site. The control uses weather forecasts from an external weather portal for this purpose. An algorithm in the control system evaluates this data and decides on the previous evening whether enough solar power will be produced the next day to charge the boiler and storage tank of the heating system. If the solar production is too low, the boilers are charged during the night at the low tariff, otherwise there is a wait until there is enough solar power available the next day to start the heat pump.
On-site energy production The “Grand Chemin” development was built in Epalinges in western Switzerland, with some of the electricity required being produced on site by a photovoltaic system (PV). A new multi-family house is being built in Emmen (LU), which will be characterized by a heat pump with groundwater and a PV with ZEV. Two examples out of many that show that the future of energy has long since begun.
Swiss people rarely move. And when they do, in half of all relocations the new place of residence is only five kilometers away from the old one. The average distance is 13 kilometers. This is shown by a representative survey of the house and living situation in Switzerland by Swiss Life .
As the life insurance group explains in a press release , almost 60 percent of homeowners and 25 percent of tenants have been living in their current home for ten years or more. At the same time, however, for around 30 percent of those surveyed, the desire to live in the countryside or at least with a terrace increased during the pandemic.
Around two thirds of homeowners have felt more quality of life and more self-determination since buying their own home. 37 percent said that they were completely satisfied with their current living situation, especially those who owned their own home. 15 percent are moderately or not at all satisfied. Most of them lack space or a garden, or they are bothered by noise and environmental pollution.
Over 60 percent of those who can imagine buying their own home in the next five years expect that this would improve their quality of life. But only 21 percent of them are actively looking for a home of their own.
Requirements for the ideal place to live in terms of costs, equipment and security vary depending on the language region. In addition, a garden is central in the country, and there is a connection to local public transport in the city. If this is perceived as good, the willingness of commuters to move decreases.
A new unit went into operation on Tuesday in the NEST research and innovation building of the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ) and the ETH Domain's water research institute ( Eawag). As Empa in a message emphasized the office module called is Sprint was completed in just ten months. This demonstrates that building with reused materials and components is “a viable alternative to building with new material”. It “meets the market requirements for flexible and fast building”.
The entire unit follows the so-called design for disassembly approach. If necessary, the flexible partitions could be dismantled. This enables flexible use of space and the recycling of built-in materials.
The still existing skepticism of the construction industry about the reuse of materials is unjustified. Contrary to initial concerns about the tight schedule, "we were even able to find the re-use materials faster than new material," is quoted from Kerstin Müller, architect and business service member at the Basel construction office in situ , which planned the sprint unit.
In addition, reuse is not yet cheaper given the current market situation. However, that will change as soon as a competitive market has developed, believes component hunter Oliver Seidel from in situ. In addition, there is a need for CO2 taxation, "which relieves the cost of new materials and used materials in order to be able to quantify the ecological added value."
Hilcona has created a 1200 square meter roof meadow on the first completed new building at the company’s headquarters in Schaan. According to a press release, the roofs of the five-year expansion will also be planted in an “ecologically valuable” way. “The green areas provide more infiltration areas than concrete-sealed areas, relieve the sewage system and offer essential protection against heavy rain events,” says the Head of Technical Service, Peter Ritzer, in explanation.
As Hilcona further explains, green roofs are able to hold back and store water. Therefore, when building the new company building, care was taken to seal as little area as possible. They also absorb pollutants such as CO2 and clean water and air. On the other hand, the water on sealed surfaces such as conventional roofs, tar and concrete surfaces immediately drains into the sewer system and onto open floors. That causes floods and floods. The green roofs could cushion this.
In addition, they heat up less than gravel roofs, for example. They are also more durable and easy to care for. “With the roof meadow we want to give back as much as possible to nature,” says Ritzer.
Schilliger Holz AG from Küssnacht is planning to build a new production plant for wood fiber insulation panels in Perlen. According to a media release, this is to be built on the Perlen Papier AG factory site. The CPH Group , to which Perlen Papier AG belongs, will hand over a land area of 20,000 square meters to the wood processing company with building rights.
Schilliger Holz AG is one of the main suppliers of wood chips to Perlen Papier AG. One of their sawmills is already located right next to the paper mill in Perlen. Thanks to the new plant, the two companies will work even more closely together: Perlen Papier AG will supply the new plant with electricity, process steam, fresh water and fully demineralized water. In addition, it will treat the waste water produced in the company’s own sewage treatment plant.
“We are pleased to be able to realize synergies in industrial wood processing together with Schilliger Holz AG at the Perlen location. In this way, Perlen will become the center for sustainable recycling of the important resource wood in Switzerland ”, Peter Schildknecht, CEO of the CPH Group, is quoted in a press release from his company.
According to Schilliger Holz AG, there has been “no more insulation board production in Switzerland for a long time”. With the implementation of the new plant, the company therefore wants to close a “large gap in the Swiss wood processing chain”. Wood fiber insulation boards are used, for example, for the thermal insulation of the outer shell surfaces of buildings.
The project is currently in the planning phase. Commissioning is scheduled for 2023.
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