Category: Projects

From a listed school building to a private hotel
- In the attic
  became a junior
  Suite built in.
- The original school house from the year
  1915 shines as a hotel
  in new splendor.
The vision: A hotel is to be converted from a former school building, in which the original character of use and the original substance are to be retained. The Berlin hotelier Kurt Hermandung and his partner Marc Konopatzki have realized their dream of their own small private hotel. This is close to Düsseldorf, Cologne and the Ruhr metropolises. "We wanted a small, fine house with character that we can make something very special," say the owners. "After a long search, we came across this former elementary school – and an investor who could imagine turning it into a hotel and the former gymnasium into a restaurant." In terms of design and concept, the former schoolhouse from 1915 and the gymnasium added in 1980 were based on the original use of the building.
Classrooms became elegant hotel rooms
The local architecture firm Wilde and Wehnau implemented this ambitious conversion concept, from the design to the implementation planning and construction management. Their services also included the concept of the monument protection concept, the planning of the interior design and the lighting design. The exterior facade with its typical slate shingles, the representative bay window and the green rain gutters were restored and preserved under the watchful eye of the listed building. The former classrooms of the primary school have been transformed into elegantly furnished single and double rooms with oak parquet and spacious bathrooms. A junior suite was installed in the attic. The minibars that used to be in the rooms are a thing of the past. The alternative is much more original and ecologically more sensible: A central “school kiosk” on the ground floor offers a variety of drinks.
A special feature in the house is the restored historical fountain with fresh drinking water, which extends over two floors, emphasize the hotel owners. Old certificates and photos are reminiscent of the earlier school days. You can find yourself in the whole building. Gym boxes serve as luggage racks in the rooms. The gym's old rung climbing wall was also given a new function. It serves as a partition to the stairs in the restaurant.
Former gym as a restaurant
The rather unadorned gymnasium was completely dismantled in the course of the renovation work. The result is a modern building which now houses the “Die Turnhalle” restaurant, the lounge and the bar. In the historic school building, a lift provides barrier-free access to all floors and connects the hotel rooms with the restaurant. The latter is also open to the public. A newly installed ceiling divides the former gymnasium into two floors. This enabled the area to be doubled to 800 square meters. This made space for four conference rooms and a small bar for catering in the conference area. The extension with its large glass surfaces is a successful contrast to the old and lovingly restored school building and complements it in an ideal way. ■
August 2020
From the former rectory to the gently renovated holiday apartment

Bringing building culture to life is the maxim of the Foundation for Monument Holidays. From 2021, for example, the renovation work on a former rectory in Valais, which is being converted into a holiday apartment, is to begin. The former rectory – called "Kaplanei" – is located in the Valais village of 400 people, Ernen. It was built in 1776 and used as a rectory until 1952. Since then, the property has been largely empty and is becoming increasingly dilapidated. That will now change because the Foundation Holidays in Monument was able to take over the building under construction law at the end of 2018.
The chaplaincy suffered from the long vacancy, says Nancy Wolf, who is responsible for marketing and communication at the foundation. Although the owners, in cooperation with the preservation of monuments, restored the outer facade, including the windows and the roof, there are neither modern kitchen facilities nor up-to-date sanitary and heating installations.
Building with its own house chapel
The plan is to concentrate on the maintenance of the existing substance during the extensive renovation work – this mainly includes the repair of the interior. Only the fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom should be implemented cautiously in a contemporary design language. The well-proportioned pre-protection house is particularly impressive due to the alternation of wood and stone on its eaves and the doors and windows framed with red tuff stone. Those responsible for the project emphasize that they radiate wealth and dignity. Characteristic of this type of building, the rear part of the house with the kitchen was made of stone. Inside there is also its own house chapel. When entering the reception room, the benefice's parlor, one notices the neatly worked, strongly curved paneling with the deep bevelled edges, of which there are not many today, can be read in the project description. The cube-shaped stove shows Saint George on a horse, the patron saint of the church and the parish, as well as Saint Catherine with the wheel.
H out with a manorial character
On the first and second floors you can find religious inscriptions in Latin, with which the residents probably wanted to give practical instructions on how to live, the preservationists suspect. One room on the upper floor has a vaulted plaster ceiling. In the middle is a painting. Painted, tulip-shaped flowers on the consoles and the arched portals to the cellar give the house its stately character. Future vacation home owners will soon be able to marvel at these treasures. ■

August 2020
Renovation and extension: Hospiz Zentralschweiz Luzern

Building worthy of protection: medical practice with residential building in Littau
The original building – a residential building with an integrated doctor’s practice – was built by the Lucerne architect Josef Gasser in 1959. He was inspired by the well-known American architect Frank Lloyd Wright: In particular, by the prairie style influenced by Wright, which refers to the broad, flat landscape in the American Midwest. Accordingly, the architecture is characterized by an open room design, a horizontal, two-dimensional orientation and the use of natural materials. In cooperation with the Monument Preservation of the Canton of Lucerne, a prudent way of dealing with the building worthy of protection was found.

Clinker brick building inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright is being gently renovated
Little was changed during the renovation of the external appearance of the existing clinker building. Interventions in the external appearance of the house were only carried out in the direction of the garden, in which the foundation had the extension built. The room layout and use was adapted for the necessary communal, administration, practice and care rooms. Work rooms, guest rooms and a “room of silence” were created on the existing upper floor. The whole house is now accessible with a lift.

Pavilion-like wooden structure for inpatient hospice
A single-storey wooden pavilion with 12 rooms was created in the inner courtyard. Each room has its own wet room and a view of the garden. The two buildings are connected by a corridor that surrounds the new inner courtyard. The pavilion has a basement and is connected to the existing building underground. For a harmonious appearance, the new building was realized with a clinker brick and wooden facade and a roof edge made of pre-patinated copper.

Renggli AG supported the Central Switzerland Hospice Foundation as general planner. As part of the planning team, she helped design the architecture and coordinated the demanding specialist areas and partners involved. Renggli AG also acted as general contractor in the project. ■

August 2020
Beginning of a new era of shopping
The project included not only adjustments to the sales and service areas as well as the catering offer, but also the construction of a modern hotel with 80 rooms. Today the Perry Center represents a new urban shopping experience.
Pure shopping pleasure
Not only the bright and spacious areas, the expanded range of products and services in over 40 shops and a children's paradise ensure that visitors to the modernized Perry Center feel completely at ease. In order to ensure the most stress-free journey possible, a new parking system has also been introduced for the around 800 parking spaces. From the outside, the Perry Center will of course also have a new look after the work has been completed: a unique, 15-meter-high, illuminated lamellar facade makes the shopping center appear as high as the newly opened Holiday Inn Express Hotel. At night, the slender panels of the Perry Center are particularly noticeable when they shine in different colors. A total of 2600 running meters of LED strips are integrated into these slats. By the way, guests of the new hotel can access the shopping center directly via a walkway, where they can shop and eat.
Logistic masterpiece
The client has commissioned Steiner AG as the executing total contractor. As a leading real estate developer as well as total and general contractor, it has already implemented numerous visionary projects throughout Switzerland. Since the entire revitalization of the Perry Center was carried out during ongoing operations, Steiner and all the subcontractors involved were faced with high requirements in terms of planning, implementation and logistics right from the start. Not only did the flow of visitors have to be optimally controlled during the construction phase, but existing tenants also had to move within the center. ■
August 2020
Ein neues Kleid für das Grand Hôtel & Centre Thermal Yverdon-les-Bains
- So soll der Aussenbereich des Grand Hôtel & Centre Thermal nach dem Umbau aussehen.
- Ein Projektbild des
  geplanten Neubaus.
Seit Herbst 2019 wird das historische Hotel mit 116 Zimmern und Suiten während drei Jahren umgebaut. Das Gesamtbudget von rund 32 Millionen Franken enthält die Kosten für die vollständige Renovierung der Innenräume und des Aussenbereiches sowie des Thermalbades und des Grand Hôtels. Im Grand Hôtel werden die Zimmer und Bäder, die Küche und der Aussenbereich inklusive Schwimmbad renoviert. Der Eingang zu den Thermalbädern wird neu ausgestaltet und mit Geschäftsflächen und Restaurants erweitert. Die Umkleidekabinen werden renoviert.

Ein neues Café wird nur von den Bädern aus zugänglich sein. Die Zone um die Aussenschwimmbecken wird mit einem 350 m2 grossen Wellnessbereich mit Hamam und Sauna ergänzt. Der Fitnessbereich umfasst neu 700 m2. Während der gesamten Bauzeit wird das Thermalbad den normalen Betrieb aufrechterhalten. BCO SA, eine Tochter der BOAS-Gruppe, leitet die Bauarbeiten; das Architekturbüro Richter Dahl Rocha mit Sitz in Lausanne hat das Projekt ausgearbeitet.

Das Thermalbad von Yverdon-les-Bains besteht aktuell aus verschiedenen, zum Teil dreistöckigen Gebäuden, die untereinander verbunden sind. Im Aussenbereich stehen zwei grosse Schwimmbecken zur Verfügung. Das 4-Sterne-Superior-Hotel liegt inmitten eines prächtigen Parks mit altem Baumbestand. Aufgrund seiner langjährigen Geschichte strahlen die verschiedenen Räumlichkeiten des Grand Hôtels jeweils ihren eigenen, ganz besonderen Charme aus. So zum Beispiel die sogenannte Rotunde (kreisförmiger Bauteil), in der sich das Restaurant und die Lounge-Bar befinden oder der vor kurzem renovierte «Belle Epoque»-Saal und insbesondere auch das zum Hotel gehörende Schloss. Über einen Glastunnel ist das Hotel mit den Thermalbädern verbunden.

Neues Seedorf und neue Einrichtungen
Der erste Schritt des gross angelegten Renovationsprojektes ist der Bau des Seedorfes im Park vor dem Hotel – am Ufer eines neu angelegten Weihers. Drei Holzbrücken führen die Besucher übers Wasser zu den Häusern, die verschiedene Wellnessbereiche wie Hamam, Sauna und Ruheräume beherbergen. Ein Barfussweg wird ebenfalls entstehen. Die bereits heute für die Physiotherapie und Arztpraxen genutzten Räumlichkeiten werden durch zwei Einheiten ergänzt: Entstehen soll ein Zentrum für Sportmedizin mit einem separaten Eingang. Weiter ist vorgesehen, die medizinischen Infrastrukturen räumlich zu konzentrieren, sodass die Patienten über eine grössere Privatsphäre verfügen.
Durch die Verlegung des Thermalbadeingangs entsteht ein attraktiver, lebendiger Raum, durch den der Gast vom Hotel direkt zur Bäderzone gelangt.

Dieser Bereich umfasst 900 m2 und umfasst eine Empfangshalle, eine Boutique, ein Restaurant und ein Café. Der bislang für den Übergang genutzte, wenig ansprechende Glastunnel wird abgebaut. Renoviert werden zudem Küche und Restaurationsbereich. Die Fassaden und Dächer der Thermalbad-Gebäude werden abgerissen. Stattdessen wird einer äusseren Einfassung Platz gemacht, die den ganzen Komplex umfasst und vereinheitlicht. Die gesamte Fläche wird um eine Etage aufgestockt. Damit entsteht Raum für moderne, besser durchdachte, architektonisch homogen und stilvoll integrierte Inf-
rastrukturen. Auch die Infrastruktur des Thermalzentrums wird optimiert: Das Hallenbad wird komplett renoviert und um ein neues Schwimmbad mit Spielbereich erweitert.

Infrastruktur des Neubaus in der Übersicht:
Erdgeschoss
Neuer Eingang, 600 m2
Boutiquen, Café / Restaurant, 360 m2
Bäder-Restaurant
Bereich Physiotherapie (960 m2) mit unabhängigem Rehabilitationsbecken
Neue Umkleideräume und Duschen
Neues Innen-Schwimmbecken
(Unterricht und Erholung)
Inneres Becken vollständig renoviert
Zwei Aussen-Schwimmbecken

Erste Etage
Fitness-Raum, 700 m2
Schönheitspflege, 340 m2
Sportmedizinisches Zentrum (1160 m2) mit Anbindung an den Physiotherapiebereich und neuem separatem Eingang

Über BOAS Swiss Hotels
Boas Swiss Hotels ist eine private Hotelgruppe mit Sitz in Crissier / Lausanne. Zur Gruppe gehören zehn Beherbergungsbetriebe in den Kantonen Wallis, Waadt und Genf. Die Hotels gehören mehrheitlich zur Kategorie der 3- und 4-Sterne-Superior-Betriebe. ■
August 2020
Jean Nouvel is renovating the Grand Hotel Geneva

At the beginning of the year, the Grand Hotel Geneva changed operators: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, one of the luxury brands from the Accor Group, is taking over from the Kempinski Group. At the same time, the owner, Le Palace Genève SA, announced the extensive renovation of the hotel.
The Geneva 5-star hotel directly on the lake with a view of Mont Blanc is being remodeled by the French star architect Jean Nouvel. With his architecture office, he secured the contract in the context of an international architecture competition. Brigitte Jucker-Diserens' Geneva partner office is coordinating the project. The KKL Luzern, the Lyon Opera, the Galerie Lafayette in Berlin and the national museum in Doha all came from Nouvel's hands. He was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2008 and has so far created over 200 structures.
Targeting the highest energy efficiency standards
The renovation work should begin at the end of 2020 / beginning of 2021, once all permits have been received. One focus of the renovation is on the facade. It should be perfectly integrated into the environment and should be based on the design and materials of the other houses in the bay. The inner courtyard, the public areas and the restaurants are also being renovated. In addition, the hotel should meet the highest energy efficiency standards after the renovation. It is currently being clarified whether a thermal heating solution can be implemented. Then the hotel would be heated and cooled with water from Lake Geneva. This focus on sustainability is in line with the philosophy of the Fairmont brand.
The hotel has 412 rooms, including 33 suites and 14 apartments; three restaurants, a lounge and bar with a view of the lake, a heated indoor pool and a spa and fitness center. The number of rooms will be unchanged after the renovation, as the press officer at Fairmont Hotels & Resort, Philippe Eberhard, announced. The centrally located hotel will remain open during the renovation. According to Eberhard, the costs are likely to amount to tens of millions of francs.
Fairmont's portfolio currently includes 77 hotels in 29 countries, including the GrandHotel Geneva. The Fairmont Le Montreux Palace is also located on Lake Geneva. ■

August 2020
La Margna becomes the Grace Hotel St. Moritz

The renovation work has been underway since September 2016: In St. Moritz, the former Hotel La Margna on Via Serlas is becoming the Grace Hotel. The owner is the internationally active Grace Hotel Group. She has the building carefully renovated and expanded with an annex. The opening was originally planned for 2017, was then postponed to autumn 2019 and is now to take place in 2022. The reason for the delay: the project was modified and expanded again after construction began. The number of hotel rooms was increased by a third to 56, as a correspondingly high demand is expected.
Upon completion, the hotel will include the historic “La Margna Wing” and the modern, newly built “Grace Wing”. In the "Grace Wing" an underground car park, a spa area as well as hotel rooms and suites are being built. In the “La Margna Wing”, the rooms on the upper floors are being completely renovated. The rooms on the lower floors are being restored so that the historical building fabric is preserved. Here guests will discover vaults, arches and other architectural features of Art Nouveau.
Art Nouveau meets modernity
The former Hotel Margna was built in 1906 and 1907 according to plans by the architect Nicolaus Hartmann in the Engadin style. In 1911 the east wing was increased by three storeys. After that, renovations and renovations took place again and again, but the external appearance was never significantly changed. The striking facade is to be retained even after the current renovation.
The drafts for the project come from the pen of the architect Nikolas Travasaros from Divercity Architects. For him, the main challenge was to freshen up the original architecture and at the same time create a modern extension for additional rooms and a spa. In addition to taking into account the strict building regulations and the given restrictions due to the sloping terrain, Travasaros had to plan hotel rooms that can also be converted into long-term apartments.
His plans combine old and new by expanding the base of the existing building. The extension follows the natural gradient and fits seamlessly into the landscape. The new wing is deliberately kept discreet and does not overshadow the traditional architecture and the breathtaking alpine surroundings. Panoramic windows and adaptable, open interiors create a feeling of light and space.
Blarer & Reber Architects in Samedan are responsible for the planning and implementation on site. The preservation of monuments in Graubünden was included in the project development so that the greatest possible preservation of the historically valuable building fabric is guaranteed. The STW AG for spatial planning based in Chur was also included in the project team.
All rooms and suites of the boutique hotel Grace St. Moritz will offer lake or panoramic views. Three restaurants and a spacious spa area with swimming pool as well as a fitness center on over 800 square meters are planned. The hotel has a private car park and is just a 2-minute walk from the train station and the bus stop. A ski shop and ski room are also planned. Serviced apartments are also to be offered for sale in both wings. ■

August 2020
"Because of the Corona crisis, all investment projects will probably be put on hold"

Mr. Allemann, there has been a structural change in the Swiss hotel industry for a long time, with a trend towards larger hotels. Nevertheless, almost 90 percent of the hotels have fewer than 55 beds. How are these companies responding to this change?
The biggest problem are businesses with ten to twenty rooms and 15 to 30 beds. These houses are struggling to be profitable. Many small businesses, however, have a very large share of the catering industry, some of which generate over eighty percent of sales. The hotel industry is not part of the main business there.
Hotel guests are becoming more and more demanding. How can the aging hotels keep up with this trend?
This is actually a problem. We have many plants in Switzerland that were built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. These often have fewer than thirty rooms and are very entertaining. If you are in destinations that are no longer as attractive today, such as transit routes, this is an aggravating circumstance. Missing frequencies then automatically lead to profitability problems and pent-up maintenance.
Does the operation of a hotel require high investments?
Yes, because the hotel industry is very investment-intensive. A hotel should be completely renovated after thirty to forty years. Depending on how trend-oriented or traditionally timeless a hotel is architecturally positioned with its furnishings in the market, shorter renewal cycles are necessary, especially for the rooms.
Do the hotels generally have the necessary financial resources to carry out the necessary renovations and refurbishments?
In principle, investments should be financed from cash flow. In recent decades this has become increasingly difficult for many companies, also because of the various crises. At the moment, of course, especially because of the Corona crisis. In the luxury sector, there are often patrons who have either fallen in love with the house or with the region and are ready to invest in hotel properties. They see the motivation of their investments not only in economic terms, but as an «A-fonds-perdu-contribution. In this way, their hotel operations achieve their extraordinary positioning in the market. I see the critical segment in the middle-class hotels, which because of insufficient occupancy or insufficient positioning are unable to make the necessary investments or can only generate them through borrowing.
Does your association financially support the renovation of hotels?
No, this is not the association's task; we would not have the resources to do so either. The association has the competence to offer and supports its members to be competitive. We have built up a network of specialized consulting firms that can support our members in a wide variety of subject areas. We also work very closely with the Swiss Hotel Association (SGH), which has the specific financing expertise.
This means?
The SGH is a federal instrument to promote the accommodation industry. Subordinate to the banks and subsidiary to private donors, it can grant loans for investment projects to hotels in tourist areas and health resorts.
What other challenges need to be tackled?
Succession arrangements are particularly difficult for companies with an investment backlog and / or over-indebtedness. This is practically impossible within the family or cannot be expected of the children. Since the second home initiative was adopted, it is practically no longer possible to convert hotel properties. Demolition is not an option, especially for listed properties. Complete renovations or partial re-use are also very costly due to the requirements of monument protection. So there is still hope of finding a patron. Unfortunately, these are not just in front of the door. If the substance of the house is still intact and there is potential for demand in the destination, I see the merger of several companies as an alternative to cross-company cooperation as an opportunity out of this dilemma. For example, by bundling purchasing, costs can be saved and more sales can be achieved with joint marketing activities.
What advice would you give a hotelier: renovate, demolish or try to get a loan?
Look, one criterion is the existing building fabric, especially for hotels from the turn of the century. However, if only the shell is historical, this hotel hardly offers guests any incentives to stay here. Keeping a house steeped in history alive takes a lot of personal commitment. First of all, it is important to deal with the era of hotel construction. This requires a certain affinity with the history of the hotel. This also has to be told. So you need someone who is willing to renovate the establishment of the company gently and with great sensitivity and to bring it up to the state of today's guest needs. ■

August 2020
Coop verwandelt den Basler Märthof in ein Boutique-Hotel

Im ersten Halbjahr 2021 soll im historischen Gebäude des Märthofs in Basel das Boutique-Hotel Märthof eröffnen. Die Eigentümerin, die Coop Immobilien AG, hat das Architekturbüro Burckhardt + Partner mit der umfassenden Renovation beauftragt. Geführt wird das Hotel nach der Eröffnung von der zu Coop gehörenden Bâle Hotelgruppe. Sie betreibt bereits die Hotels Pullman Basel Europa an der Clarastrasse sowie das Victoria am Centralbahnplatz und das Hotel Baslertor in Basel-Muttenz.

Das Gebäude des Märthofs entstammt dem 19. Jahrhundert und bestand ursprünglich aus fünf einzelnen Häusern, die 1981 zu einem Gebäudekomplex zusammengeführt wurden. Die freiwillige Denkmalpflege Basel wehrte sich Anfang der 70er-Jahre gegen den geplanten Warenhaus-Neubau, der anstelle des alten Gebäudes vorgesehen war. Der Abbruch wurde 1976 in einer Volksabstimmung abgelehnt. Nun soll ein Hotel der oberen 4-Sterne-Kategorie entstehen, wobei die Fassade mit einem neuen Anstrich in ihrer jetzigen Form erhalten bleibt. Das Mauerwerk selber bleibt unverändert – auch die Natursteinpartien werden nur gereinigt.

Laut Coop-Mediensprecherin Rebecca Veiga sollen im neuen Boutique-Hotel die Stilepochen der ehemals fünf bestehenden Gebäude unverkrampft und spielerisch vermischt werden. «Verspielte Motive des Neubarocks und die funktionale Gestaltung der Geschäftsfassade aus dem Jahre 1927 treffen im Inneren des Gebäudes auf die lineare 80er-Jahre-Struktur», sagt Veiga.

Offene Übergänge und eine freundliche Atmosphäre
Auf die insgesamt 68 geplanten Zimmer, davon acht Suiten und acht Juniorsuiten, werden Stehleuchten, Wandleuchten, Sessel und weiteres Mobiliar individuell verteilt – kein Zimmer wird exakt wie das andere aussehen. Die Zimmer erhalten unterschiedliche Farbschemen und widerspiegeln die Geschichte vom jeweiligen Gebäudeteil, in dem sie sich befinden. Die Farben sind abwechslungsreich und sollen nicht polarisieren – sodass sie das ganze Jahr hindurch auf die Gäste angenehm wirken.

Des Weiteren sind ein Fitnessraum, eine Bibliothek, ein Res-
taurant sowie eine Bar auf der Dachterrasse im 6. Stock mit 55 Sitzplätzen vorgesehen – und eine weitere im Erdgeschoss. Alle funktionalen Räumlichkeiten sind analog einer starken Wirbelsäule um den Erschliessungskern des Hauses angeordnet und stossen von innen nach allen drei Aussenseiten. Die Übergänge der unterschiedlichen Nutzungsflächen im Erdgeschoss sind offen gestaltet, sodass es als Fläche ohne Unterbrüche wahrgenommen wird.

Eine helle und freundliche Atmosphäre empfängt den Gast im Standardzimmer. Der Raum wird mit Ausnahme der abgeschlossenen Dusche und einem separaten WC grosszügig offen gestaltet. Nebst der eingebauten Schrankzeile im Eingang sind alle Möbelstücke freistehend. Sanfte Rundungen gemäss dem Gesamtkonzept des Hauses werden auch im Zimmer durchdekliniert.
Die Aussenbestuhlung und die grossen Fenster verbinden das Gebäude mit dem Marktplatz. «Die einmalige Lage und das lebendige Geschehen am Marktplatz soll nach innen spielen und umgekehrt», sagt Veiga. Das Boutique-Hotel will internationale wie auch lokale Gäste ansprechen und durch Restaurant und Bar entlang der Eisengasse als Treffpunkt für die lokale Bevölkerung und die Hotelgäste dienen. ■

August 2020
Reconstruction displaces new construction

Overall, the construction industry barely moved in 2019. According to the provisional figures from the Federal Statistical Office ( BFS ), an increase in construction investments in civil engineering of 3.9 percent offset a decline in building construction of 0.9 percent.

There was a change from new buildings to renovations and expansions. Investments in new civil engineering buildings fell by 6.9 percent, while investments in conversions and expansions rose by 13.2 percent. In building construction, too, investments in renovations and extensions rose by 1.6 percent, while investments in new buildings fell by 2.0 percent.

This switch to renovations was particularly pronounced among public clients: Last year they invested 8.8 percent more in renovations and extensions and 7.2 percent less in new buildings. Private clients invested 2.2 percent more in conversions and expansions than in 2018, but 1.4 percent less in new buildings.

July 2020
Porta Samedan is built with recycled building material

The new Porta Samedan shopping center is being realized by Migros Ostschweiz and Pfister Immobilien AG . During these days, the concreting of the floors of the new building is taking place, according to a media release . When it comes to building materials, the partners rely on the circular economy. Recycled products are used for both concrete and cement.
The one main component in concrete is cement. This comes by train from the Holcim plant in Untervaz GR to the Upper Engadin, where Montebello produces the recycled concrete on site. The Holcim product Susteno is used. According to the information, this is the only resource-saving cement in Europe in which the fine proportion of mixed granulate from demolished buildings is used as an additive, which cannot be used in concrete production. Holcim can completely close the building material cycle with Susteno, as this material would otherwise have to be dumped.
The other main component in concrete are the aggregates. "Here we rely on recycling: instead of natural gravel, we use demolition material from the region," explains Flurin Wieser from the Engadin construction company Montebello.
"The Porta Samedan development shows that the building materials industry, with innovative products and solutions, is playing an increasingly important role in the transition to the circular economy and is making a significant contribution to a sustainably built future," said Philippe Rey, Head of Cement Sales German-speaking Switzerland at Holcim Switzerland.
Porta Samedan is scheduled for completion in 2021. Among other things, it will house the first Migros supermarket in the Engadine.

July 2020
Implenia is taking part in the construction of the Dreiklang Hospital at Aarau Cantonal Hospital

"The working group (ARGE) for the new Dreiklang hospital building for Aarau Cantonal Hospital ( KSA ) at the level of general contractor now consists of BAM Swiss AG / BAM Deutschland AG and Implenia," Implenia informed in a corresponding message . The two partners want to implement the project technically and commercially in equal parts. The consortium commissioned the construction company Marti AG with the master builder work.

Originally, the Swiss subsidiary BAM Swiss AG of the Dutch Royal BAM Group, together with Marti, acted as a consortium for the new Dreiklang KSA building. The KSA has given its approval to the new composition of the ARGE, Implenia explains in the announcement. According to her, the project is “still on track in terms of time and money”. The planning application should be submitted in a few weeks.

The construction cost of the project remains unchanged at around 560 million francs including VAT, the announcement said. This amount does not include the costs for medical technology. A corresponding contract for work was concluded with the ARGE in January and remains valid even with its new composition.

July 2020