Category: Aargau

Steiner AG sells housing project in Suhr to Corpora

13 apartment buildings with a total of 146 apartments are to be built on Neumattweg Ost in Suhr. The superstructure is designed for use by different age groups and family sizes, Steiner AG informed in a press release . The real estate developer from Zurich has decided to sell the project to Corpora Immobilien AG from Aarau before it is actually implemented.

"With Corpora Immobilien AG, Aarau, we were able to sell this extensive project to an investor with development expertise and local roots, who will ensure the successful further development and realization of this attractive residential development," project manager Daniel F. Hauri is quoted as saying in the press release. No information is given there on the purchase price for the approximately 1.6 hectare area. Steiner cites an adjustment to the portfolio that was initiated last year as the reason for the sale.

January 2022
Baden promotes charging stations for electromobility

The city of Baden financially supports the construction of new charging stations as part of its energy promotion program. According to a press release , half of all new registrations are already electric or hybrid vehicles. The city of Baden wants to make the switch easier. That is why new charging stations for electric vehicles will be funded with 25 percent of the investment costs from now on.

According to the city, the offer applies to existing apartment buildings and condominiums with three or more residential units. Shared garages of individual units are also taken into account. The expansion of the electrical infrastructure will also be promoted, according to the press release. Not only could the applicant install a charging station in the underground car park, but others could also be added. That can be done at the same time or later. The aim of this funding is that tenants can also become electromobile.

The funding program is broken down on the city's special website for electromobility. For electric charging stations, there is a subsidy of 25 percent of the investment costs, but no more than 1,000 francs per charging point. To develop the charging infrastructure, there are also 25 percent of the investment costs in communal underground car parks, but no more than CHF 500 per parking space. The development costs include the creation of power and communication lines to the parking lots.

The application for funding can be downloaded by clicking on this page and on the city's environmental blog.

January 2022
Steiner sells Immo-Projekt to Fortimo

Steiner AG has decided to “adjust the portfolio”. As a result, it sells the entire Widacher project in Fischbach-Göslikon to Fortimo Invest AG . According to a press release , Fortimo will begin with the implementation of the first construction phase in the coming year. There is already a building permit for this.

Initially, 16 terraced houses are to be built on an abandoned industrial site. This first stage also includes a further 42 apartments in three apartment buildings and two listed buildings. A total of 165 residential units in ten multi-family houses and 46 row single-family houses are planned on this site. They are to be built in three sections.

“With Fortimo we can hand over this great project to a long-standing partner company, which ensures the successful implementation and further development of this attractive residential complex,” Steiner CEO Michael Schiltknecht is quoted as saying.

November 2021
Ground floor surfaces (re) used to best effect

Spaces located on the ground floor in Swiss cities, in medium-sized centers or in smaller municipalities, unfortunately have a marked destiny – with the exception of those with coveted privileged locations. According to experts, there has been a clear change in the destination of this type of space, and not just after the recent pandemic. Where once there was a restaurant, cafe or hairdresser, butcher or owner-run fashion shop, today there is often a huge void.
What the research says
Nicole Hartmann, research assistant at the Institute of Interior Architecture (IIA) of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), is studying how to make the most of this particular space. With the «PARTERRE» project he examines – together with his colleagues Markus Gmünder, Christoph Hanisch and Katharina Kleczka – «how to best convert the spaces on the ground floor, but from the inside». According to Hartmann "the ground floors are important not only for the building but also for the urban space". However, due to the reorganization of retail businesses and the constant increase in the sale of products online, there have been major changes in the use of these ground floor spaces. According to Hartmann, however, changes in social and cultural values as well as changes in legal framework conditions also played a role. The project team highlighted some concrete examples, for example in the Portuguese city of Porto, where SMEs and start-ups have revitalized the downtown neighborhoods with original ideas and innovative solutions. Or in the city of Lucerne, where due to the absence of international tourists there has been a considerable increase in empty shops and vacant commercial spaces.
One solution: pop-up shops
The Pop-up-Shops company of founder and CEO Chalid A. El Ashker is interested in these vacant spaces. With its «Online Market», it offers space for rent in Baden, Brugg or Dietikon. The internet platform of the start-up, based in Zollikon, connects owners of commercial spaces or showrooms with interested parties who want to rent a space for a fixed term. The contracts and rent payments of these pop-up shops are also handled online. The interest groups are on the one hand the owners of spaces and on the other hand the new brands, companies, designers or artists who need a space to exhibit their products. “No matter what kind of space, we optimize the leasing process,” says El Ashker, whose business idea doesn't stop at the Swiss borders. There are also international commercial spaces, such as in Germany, the United Kingdom or the United States, many of which are located on the ground floor.
no land of a building. According to El Ashker, the platform offers several advantages in one: it increases the availability of space for shops and promotes the local economy by supporting both new and emerging businesses without forgetting those already established. In Switzerland, Pop-up Shops counts SBB, Swiss Post, Migros, SPG Intercity and Wincasa among its customers.
Flexible office spaces close to your home
Empty commercial spaces on the ground floor, in Swiss municipalities and cities, can be converted into offices as well as retail stores, depending on the administration and planning regulations. One of the recent "Coworking Spaces" was opened by Village Office, a company that wants to create several hundred coworking spaces throughout Switzerland. There are currently more than 80, located in Aarau, Bottighofen, Frauenfeld, Lucerne, Laax, Nyon and Davos, to name a few.
Conceived and founded as cooperatives, they aim to promote new forms of work and to build an entire network of "Coworking Spaces". “At the same time we are also creating links between communities, companies, property owners and coworkers,” says Jenny Schäpper-Uster, who in 2015 and 2016 co-founded the new type of company Coworking Switzerland and Village Offices. “Our vision is that every person in Switzerland by 2030 will be able to reach the nearest 'Coworking Space' in 15 minutes. In this way, we reduce the impact on transport, increase the creation of local value and contribute to improving the quality of life of people thanks to shorter work paths ».
"Revitalizing city centers"
Nicole Hartmann, HSLU interior architect, proposes another solution to reconvert ground floor spaces into urban areas: create housing. “Depending on the existing floor plans, the heights of the rooms, the facades, the fixtures and the types of space, the goal should be to revitalize urban centers,” he explains. It would also mean making cities attractive and liveable again for new residents. In Switzerland there has been a displacement of people in the more modern and modern suburbs. "We could begin to think about a redefinition of public areas and launch a new trend, revitalizing many city centers". Hartmann is convinced of this.
This is one of the themes studied in the "PARTERRE" project, as well as the
the finding that a change in the destination of a space can affect the quality of life of the local inhabitants, and how public and private spaces could be designed and shared. “The project considers the interaction of various stakeholders and develops a sustainable conversion strategy for the vacant ground floors,” says Hartmann. We can look forward to the results of the project right now.
Baden – a model city
With over 19,000 inhabitants, Baden is the third largest municipality in the canton of Aargau and is one of the top 5 Swiss economic regions among the 110 existing ones. It is home to around 2,500 companies, many of them international. Thanks to its connections with local and long-distance transport networks
room and the remoteness of only about 20 kilometers from Zurich, the capital of the Canton of Aargau and the city of Waldshut-Tiengen in Germany, is a regional business center and also a popular place to live.
It is no wonder that developer Thomas Lütolf talks about a very low vacancy rate among the shops in the city center: "only three of the 220 spaces are currently empty". This means that the vacancy of the ground floors in the city has recorded the lowest rate in the last six years – and this despite the pandemic from Covid-19. There is also a growing trend in the occupation of spaces vacated by the retail trade by restaurants and gastronomy. Among the retail stores, even some with new concepts and others already tested. One example is Ohne.ch at Stadtturmstrasse 15, which offers fair and sustainable food without packaging. Or the chain of prestigious and very famous Sprüngli patisseries, which has opened a store in the train station of Baden.
And when it comes to pop-up shops, Lütolf sees more opportunities than risks: "Pop-up shops are not unknown in Baden". According to him, this trend will continue in the long term and, thanks to the city's active art and cultural scene, he will be able to quickly and easily occupy free spaces. Only in terms of rent levels does it see a slight downward trend. "But this in turn makes it attractive to other supplier groups in this segment," says Lütolf.

October 2021
Regional 2025 celebrates halftime

The Regionale 2025 celebrated its fifth anniversary with a celebration on the banks of the Limmat in Neuenhof AG. According to the announcement, the Regionale 2025 association was founded in 2015 and is supported by 16 Limmattal municipalities and cities as well as the cantons of Aargau and Zurich. It is intended to strengthen the identity of the Limmat Valley. To this end, 29 different projects are to be implemented by 2025.

More than 100 invited guests took part in the celebration with an aperitif and a musical performance from the water. The focus of the celebration on September 9, the fifth anniversary of the association's start-up, was the exchange of all those involved across borders. For the previous president Brigitta Johner it was a farewell. She resigns from office after six years. "For a livable and lovable Limmat valley" was the motto of the FDP politician, it says in the message. The former canton councilor was bid farewell with speeches of thanks by Roland Kuster, Wettinger mayor and former vice-president of the Regionale 2025, the managing director Peter Wolf, the mayor of the host community, Martin Uebelhart, as well as two digital greetings from the two cantons. They came from government councilors Markus Dieth (Aargau) and Martin Neukom (Zurich).

Halfway through, the next five years were also looked at. First there will be an interim show from May to October 2022. The projects nominated for the final project show will be presented there. Further projects will then be completed by 2025. The conclusion of the work of the Regionale 2025 culminates in a large project show at which all projects and processes in the region are presented to the public.

September 2021
The renovation of the Baden district building is about to be completed

The district building in Baden has been refurbished since March with ongoing operations. According to the media release, all natural stone and artificial stone components are being restored and the facade base plaster partially replaced. The construction work will be completed in October 2021. Under the project management of the real estate department of the city of Baden as the client, the work is strictly based on the historical model. The construction project is being accompanied by Heiko Dobler, building consultant for the cantonal monument preservation department.

The model for the renovation of the former schoolhouse, which was built in 1856/57, is the facade of the renovated Ochsen branch in the spa district. In the course of the renovation work, the existing plastic-contaminated plaster was completely milled off and a new lime plaster was applied based on the historical model. The facade was then given a new coat of paint and all 108 wooden windows were replaced. Both the planned construction time and the budget can presumably be adhered to, according to the statement from the city of Baden.

During the renovation work, two special factors had to be taken into account. On the one hand, there are nesting sites for the protected swifts and alpine swifts. The upper part of the scaffolding was designed accordingly by mid-April. "This meant that suitable nesting sites were available to the birds returning from the south in good time," the city councilor in charge Philippe Ramseier is quoted as saying.

Furthermore, special security requirements of the canton police and the district prison as tenants of the district building had to be met. For example, a three-meter-high board wall and a barbed wire at the end were installed.

September 2021
Verena Rohrer will head Aargau Services

The Aargau government council has appointed Verena Rohrer as the new head of the cantonal location promotion agency Aargau Services . She is the successor to Annelise Alig Anderhalden, who accepted a new challenge in the spring. Rohrer will take up her new position on January 1, 2022.

According to a statement from the government council, Rohrer is very well anchored in the canton of Aargau. From 2011 to 2017 she was in charge of the regional Brugg Regio location promotion. In addition, the 40-year-old also has several years of experience in the private sector. For example, she is a member of the executive board of the wholesaler Bio Partner Switzerland based in Seon AG. Rohrer has been Head of Central Services at Caritas Aargau since 2019.

“Due to her knowledge of location promotion, her networking in the canton and her professional experience, Verena Rohrer has the best prerequisites to decisively further develop the location promotion of the canton of Aargau together with the experienced employees of Aargau Services,” said government councilor Dieter Egli (SP), head of the department Economics and Home Affairs, quoted in the communication.

The Aargau Services location promotion contributes to the continuous improvement of the business environment in Aargau. It also supports foreign companies wishing to settle in the canton. As part of the implementation of the new cantonal development model, Aargau Services will, according to its own information, also take on important tasks. The development model envisages further strengthening the business location and linking living and working in the canton more closely.

September 2021
Model city Baden completes the first project phase

The results of the first working phase of the model city project were noted and discussed by the representatives of the 13 participating municipalities. According to a media release from the city of Baden , the municipalities' figures and data compiled in four working groups were analyzed and assessed. The further procedure in the 2nd project phase was also decided.

The 13 municipalities of the model city include Baden, Birmenstorf, Ehrendingen, Ennetbaden, Fislisbach, Gibstorf, Mägenwil, Mellingen, Neuenhof, Oberrohrdorf, Obersiggenthal, Turgi and Wettingen.

In the discussion on authorities, administration and organization, considerable differences between the municipalities were found, according to the press release. In the area of finance, it was determined, among other things, that the tax income per inhabitant in the model city in 2019 was 14 percent above the Aargau average. It is also assumed that the debt in the model city communities will increase significantly on average in the financial planning period up to 2025 due to high investments.

In the case of health, society and social affairs, simple and immediate reorganization or reorganization are hardly possible due to the complexity. But cooperation is feasible. The analysis of settlement development, spatial planning and mobility showed that the consolidation of the municipalities would not contribute to a cost reduction overall. Increased efficiency is also possible today.

For the second phase of the project, it was decided to continue working on three topics from phase 1. In cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), a “talent pool” is to be developed which enables learners to continue to be employed in one of the 13 model communities after completing their apprenticeship. The other projects are regionalization of tax offices and the development of a joint solution for refugee care. In the second phase, there will be a joint IT infrastructure, model planning for a sub-area of land use planning, and coordination of the development prognoses for the number of pupils as well as school space planning and school buildings.

August 2021
Aargau wants to attract more companies

The Aargau government council has presented the task and financial plan for the years 2022 to 2025. It also provides for measures to increase the attractiveness of the business location, including the settlement of new companies. According to the government's embassy, Aargau and its advantages should be made better known to companies abroad. "That is why additional measures should be examined and implemented in this area in order to increase the density of companies in Aargau in the long term."

When it comes to settling in, the canton wants to concentrate primarily on the sectors in which it is already strong today, namely the life sciences and the energy industry. The focus is on industrial companies and industry-related service providers who rely on a highly qualified workforce. The aim is to locate between twelve and 14 companies each year, including six to eight in the two focus industries. In the past year five companies were relocated, three of them in the focus industries. The acquisition strategy is to be developed next year and applied in a selected market from 2023.

According to the embassy, it will be checked as early as 2022 whether the canton should join an existing cross-cantonal organization of location marketing. The canton was one of the founders of the Greater Zurich Area (GZA) in 1999, but later left it. Today, GZA is the largest location marketing organization with nine German and Italian-speaking member cantons, including the three neighboring cantons of Aargau: Solothurn, Zug and Zurich. Aargau also borders the Basel Area Business & Innovation , to which the two Basel cantons and the Jura belong.

With Lucerne, Nidwalden and Obwalden, the Aargau is only one of four cantons that do not belong to any cross-cantonal organization of location marketing. Western Switzerland is organized in the Greater Geneva Bern area , the four cantons of Eastern Switzerland in the St.GallenBodenseeArea .

August 2021
Halter AG lays the foundation stone for a new quarter

A new quarter is to create the connection between Suhr Süd and the center. In addition to a twelve-story high-rise, three four- to six-story buildings are being built. Schlieremer Halter AG is responsible for project development and implementation, according to a media release . The foundation stone was laid on Wednesday.

The quarter is being built on an area formerly used by Ferroflex AG. There will be areas for living, services and commerce. Public open spaces with paths and squares, a children's play area and a barbecue area are planned between the buildings. In the high-rise and in the so-called garden house, 59 apartments with 2.5 to 5.5 rooms will be built as residential property. 143 rental apartments are being built in the other two buildings.

The development project will be implemented according to the objectives of the 2000 Watt Society. District heating from the Buchs AG waste incineration plant is used to generate heat. Solar systems will provide some of the electrical energy required.

August 2021
Museum Langmatt exhibits winning project

The Langmatt Foundation, together with the city of Baden and the canton of Aargau, launched the Museum Langmatt – general renovation project. A total of 50 architectural offices took part in a competition, six of which were invited to the second round. Their designs show a pavilion in the park and a new entrance area for the museum. They will be exhibited in the museum from August 28th, according to a media release.

At the center of the exhibition is the winning design by Ernst Niklaus Fausch Partner AG . Their pavilion creates a visual connection to the utility building without actually being connected to it. The pavilion is to be used for vernissages and other events. The new entrance area is being built in the utility building and includes the cash register, a shop or the cloakrooms.

"We are pleased about the substantial improvements in future use", Langmatt director Markus Stegmann is quoted in the message. “With the new pavilion and entrance area, Langmatt is excellently positioned for the future. With its strong visual presence, the transparent pavilion symbolizes the new Langmatt for everyone. "

August 2021
Menziken gives the green light for the Unity housing estate

The building permit for the new housing estate called Unity in the municipality of Menziken has become legally binding. Steiner AG can then start construction work.

As the Zurich developer as well as a total or general contractor notifies , six apartment buildings with 47 condominiums and 51 parking spaces will be created close to the station as a whole. The canton-protected Villa Zur Eintracht, which was built in 1811/12, will blend in harmoniously with the overall situation.

Steiner is thus making a contribution to the promotion of affordable housing. A functional design can be built in a cost-optimized manner. Among other things, uniform windows in all buildings, minimized living space and standardized wet rooms in all apartments contribute to this.

August 2021
Everything new in front of the Olten train station

Olten train station is one of the busiest train hubs in Switzerland. The square in front of it is an important traffic hub and has a high volume of car traffic, buses, pedestrians and bicycles. He is also an important figurehead for the city.
The Bahnhofplatz is showing its age, however – it is becoming less and less able to meet the growing demands. Therefore, the project Neuer Bahnhofplatz Olten nbo provides for a comprehensive reorganization and redesign.
The square and its adjacent streets should meet the various mobility needs of the city and region – with sufficient capacity for traffic, an expanded bus station, a large bicycle station, underground parking and separate areas for taxis, short-term parking and “kiss and ride”. A large roof following the platform will mark the entrance area to the train station and give it a new face.
Continuous terraces on both sides of the station bridge should invite you to linger. A new footbridge is intended to act as a tension band bridge for pedestrians and bicycles, providing direct access from the left bank of the river to the train station and the new bicycle station. With the extension of the Hardegg pedestrian underpass, a new, direct access from the train station to the Aare area will be created.
In 2012, the canton of Solothurn, the city of Olten and SBB Immobilien joined forces to form a builders' association. In 2019 they presented the project to the population as part of a public participation. The tender for the master builder work is to take place in 2024. The phased realization of the new station square with ongoing operations is planned for the period 2025 to 2028.

July 2021
The ground floor is used correctly

Ground floor locations in major Swiss cities and medium-sized centers, but also in smaller communities, are increasingly leading a bleak existence – at least away from the coveted prime locations. According to real estate market experts, there has been a clear functional change in this type of land use not just since the Covid 19 pandemic. Where there used to be a restaurant, a café or a hairdresser, a butcher or an owner-managed fashion store, today there is a yawning emptiness in many places.
In the focus of science
Nicole Hartmann, research assistant at the Institute for Interior Design (IIA) at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), is currently working on the possibilities of converting this very special type of building space. With her colleagues Markus Gmünder, Christoph Hanisch and Katharina Kleczka, she is currently looking at the “question of the conversion of the ground floor from the inside out” in her “PARTERRE” project. Hartmann says: "Ground floor zones are an important part of buildings, but also of the cityscape." However, restructuring processes in the industry and the growth of online trading have recently brought about a change in the function of the ground floor locations. Social and cultural shifts in values as well as legal framework conditions also played a role in the subject, according to Hartmann. The project team collected very specific practical examples in the Portuguese city of Porto, where, thanks to new ideas and innovations, city quarters could be revitalized with SMEs and start-ups. Or recently in the city of Lucerne, where currently pronounced vacancies and unused business and retail space are visible and omnipresent due to the lack of international tourists.
One solution: pop-up shops
The company founding pop-up shops by founder and managing director Chalid A. El Ashker is committed to precisely such vacancies. With his “online marketplace” he has free space in Baden, Brugg and Dietikon on offer. The internet platform of the start-up based in Zollikon brings providers of free retail and promotional space together with those interested in renting space for a limited period of time. Even the rental agreement and rent payments are processed online in pop-up shops. Target groups are landlords with vacant space on the one hand and new innovative brands, companies, designers or artists on the other hand who need space to display their products. “Regardless of the type of space – we optimize the letting process,” says El Ashker, whose business idea does not stop at the Swiss borders. He also lists international business spaces, for example in Germany, the UK or the USA, many of them on the ground floor of a building. For the start-up founder, his platform has several advantages: "We increase the availability of retail space and promote the local economy by supporting new, emerging and established companies." In Switzerland, pop-up shops are already working with customers such as SBB, Swiss Post, Migros, SPG Intercity and Wincasa.
Flexible office space close to where you live
But retail solutions are not the only option for vacant commercial space on the ground floor of Swiss municipalities and cities. This type of commercial space can, for example, be converted into office space depending on the requirements of the administration and depending on the definition of the urban zone. The Village Office company offers one of the new German “coworking space” concepts. It is aiming to create several hundred flexibly rentable coworking spaces throughout Switzerland. There are currently more than 80 federal “coworking spaces” from Village Office in the country – for example in Aarau, Bottighofen, Frauenfeld, Lucerne or in Laax, Nyon and Davos.
Conceived and founded as a cooperative, it wants to promote new forms of work and build up a whole network of “coworking spaces”. "In doing so, we are also creating bridges between communities, companies, property owners and coworkers," says Jenny Schäpper-Uster, who co-founded the new branch association Coworking Switzerland in 2015 and 2016 and village offices on the other. “Our vision is that by 2030 every person in Switzerland will reach the next 'coworking space' within 15 minutes. In this way, we relieve the traffic infrastructure, increase local added value and improve the quality of life with shorter commutes. "
«Revitalizing inner cities»
Interior designer Nicole Hartmann from HSLU brings into play another option for converting vacant ground floor areas in inner-city areas: living space. "Depending on the existing floor plans, room heights, window fronts and surface types, the focus should be on an actual revitalization of the inner cities," she said. This could then also mean making old towns attractive, liveable and worth living in again for new residents. In many places in Switzerland, people have been displaced in peripheral zones or in agglomerations because contemporary and modern floor plans may have been created in new neighborhoods. "A discussion about new mixed uses and the redefinition of public zones could initiate a new trend and revitalize many city centers and inner cities," Hartmann is convinced.
This is exactly what the current “PARTERRE” project aims to investigate. It is also about the question of how a change of use affects the quality of life and amenity of the city dwellers and how the interfaces between public city life and private living can be designed. "The project takes into account the entire structure of effects with the interests of the various actors and develops a sustainable and future-oriented conversion strategy for vacant ground floors," says Hartmann. We can already look forward to your project results.
The city of Baden – a positive example
Baden, the third largest municipality in the canton of Aargau with over 19,000 inhabitants, is one of the top 5 of Switzerland's 110 economic regions. Around 2500 companies are based here, including many international companies. Thanks to the connection to the local and long-distance transport networks and the distance of only around 20 kilometers to Zurich, the canton capital Aarau and the city of Waldshut-Tiengen in Germany, it is a regional economic center and also a popular place to live.
So it is not surprising that location promoter Thomas Lütolf can report a very low vacancy rate in the inner-city retail space: "Of 220 spaces, only three are currently empty." This means that the vacancy rate on the city's ground floor is lower than it has been in six years – despite the ongoing corona pandemic. A trend that he sees in the retail space is the increased use by gastronomy and food concepts. The retail stores also showed new concepts and tried-and-tested products: for example, Ohne.ch on Stadtturmstrasse 15 offers fair and sustainable food unpackaged. In addition, the Sprüngli confectionery chain, which is well-known and popular across national borders, was able to move into the Baden train station.
And when it comes to pop-up stores, too, Lütolf sees more opportunities than risks: "Pop-up shops are not unknown in Baden." In his opinion, this trend will hold up in the long term and whether the active art and cultural scene in the city will be able to quickly and easily use the areas that have become free. Only when it comes to rent levels does it show a slight downward trend. "But that in turn makes it interesting for other groups of providers in this usage segment," says Lütolf. (mr).

July 2021
Industrial wasteland is becoming a place of work for companies

There used to be a cement factory and chemical works here. Today the 75,000 Reichhold area is a huge industrial wasteland. Now it is to become the Reichhold campus.
In 2012, Hiag bought the site, half of which is on the ground of the municipalities of Hausen and Lupfig. She has carried out the remediation of contaminated sites by 2020. According to the vision of the owner, traditional commercial operations such as a carpenter's workshop should find space here, as well as industrial companies with development and production departments or SMEs such as a catering company. The versatile space is to be adapted to the needs of the tenants.
The idea of sharing is very important on the Reichhold campus. Not only meeting rooms and co-working spaces, but also bicycles and motorized vehicles should be bookable by the hour via an app. In addition, the planned structures should encourage the individual companies to use infrastructures such as the reception, the canteen or exhibition rooms together. Restaurants, take-aways, shops with everyday goods, a day-care center and a fitness studio should also make the environment attractive for the employees of the local companies.
Sustainability plays an important role on the Reichhold campus. Innovative materials on and in the buildings, renewable energy and solar panels are part of the self-image of the campus. There are numerous meadows and green spaces around the building.
The building application for the first projects is to be submitted from 2022. If everything goes according to plan, the first properties will be ready for occupancy from summer 2023.

July 2021
Forest Tower: creative center in the lower Aare valley

As a six-storey building with a wooden facade and ribbon windows, the Forest Tower protrudes over the Kleindöttingen industrial park – an area with an industrial history in the lower Aare valley, which is now primarily used by logistics-intensive and production-oriented companies as a location.
The former production building was converted into an office building earlier. So far, the owner Hiag has advertised the office space contiguously. Now she wants to liven up the rooms with a new idea: The Forest Tower is to become a creative hotspot. In order to realize the project, Hiag is looking for creative minds – companies, private individuals, freelancers and self-employed – who want to settle in the Forest Tower. As soon as two or three interested parties agree, the owner wants to start renovating the first floor.
For teams that need their own office, office space of various sizes and with plenty of daylight should be created. A shared studio should provide space for creative work, for example with a work area in the middle of the room and with additional workplaces on the walls. A co-working space is also being planned.
A common meeting room should be created for meetings, customer presentations or workshops. The Community Area, a communal area with a coffee kitchen and lounge, is to serve as a meeting point. The Ideation Salon, a room with a large screen, whiteboard and moderation material, is intended to provide a creative environment for workshops and networking. Company aperitifs with a view of the Klingnau reservoir could soon take place on the roof of the building. The fast internet, a professional printer and the common rooms should be available to the entire Forest Tower community.
Kleindöttingen is part of the so-called Zurzibiet, an economic region that is also gaining in importance on a supraregional level. It comprises 26 communities between Baden and Brugg. The area is characterized, among other things, by its convenient location and moderate cost structure. The proximity to research and innovation centers makes it particularly attractive for qualified specialists and companies.

July 2021
Küttigen: Former tree nursery as a residential area

The "Baumgarten" is being built in a sunny south-west location with a view of the Aare and Central Switzerland. 143 rental and owner-occupied apartments as well as 20 terraced houses are planned.
The development consists of three building areas with different living space concepts. Ffkb Architects, Zurich, designed the row houses in the lower part of the residential area. The bark-brown houses in the central area of the building were designed by ERP Architects in Baden. And Frei Architekten, Aarau, is responsible for the red-red houses in the northern part.
Thanks to their clever geometry, the multi-family houses should fit into the park-like landscape. Large gaps between the structures should allow maximum views and sun exposure for the individual apartments.
The houses will be built in hybrid construction with load-bearing interior walls and non-load-bearing facade elements. Wood is used as a common denominator for the exterior walls of all house types. On the one hand, because the client works in the timber construction industry. On the other hand, in order to pay tribute to the character of the former tree nursery area and to pick up on its history.
The planning of the surroundings should also combine the various construction areas into a large whole. Hager Partner, Zurich, also takes up the themes of the former tree nursery. Part of the tree population will be preserved.
Markstein was entrusted with the building trust mandate and the marketing of the new building project by the client Rombach Immobilien. The real estate service provider will accompany it until it goes into operation at the beginning of 2023 and has already started the market launch of the property.
The building permit was in place at the end of January 2021, and construction work began in mid-March 2021.

July 2021
Better late than never

Actually, Brown-Boveri-Platz should have been rebuilt now and opened in summer 2022. But private construction work on the multi-storey car park led to delays: “The reasons are the later start of construction of the multi-storey car park and extensive relocation of the works”, René Zolliker from Baden's construction planning department told Immo! Nvest. Construction is now scheduled to start in summer 2023. About a year later, in autumn 2024, Brown-Boveri-Platz is to be opened. The redesigned square fulfills two basic functions: Firstly, the square is a place of passage and residence for passers-by, employees, customers and residents for around 300 days a year. Second, public events take place on the square for around 50 days. «The present project meets both requirements. The two-row wreath of trees creates the atmosphere that should characterize the new town square, and the inner open space of 40 x 50 m creates the necessary space for events with up to 2000 people, ”says Zolliker. Basically, the place is free from motorized traffic. Exceptions are the deliveries of goods for the ABB shipping company and the transformer center as well as the journeys of emergency vehicles by the rescue services.
Use with benchmarks
But how do you skillfully revitalize a space above a garage these days? The basic paper on the use of space with several benchmarks was already drawn up for the competition in a broad-based process: During the day, access to industry, trade, education, culture and leisure activities should be guaranteed. In the afternoon, the square will serve as a forecourt to the transformer halls, cinemas and the hotel, as well as an outdoor space for the congress center. In the project team led by the planning and construction department, in addition to the commissioned planner, the municipal departments civil engineering, works yard, urban ecology, location marketing, development planning, culture and the city police were represented. ABB Immobilien AG, Regionalwerke AG Baden and the planning team Hochhaus Ost / Parkhaus Brown-Boveri-Platz were also involved in the planning process. The biggest hurdle was the building credit approval by the residents' council. But now it should finally start.

July 2021
Lighthouse project in the canton of Aargau

Switzerland is at the forefront of the most innovative countries in the world: "We are building a high-tech ecosystem here, based on the research focus of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)," Benno Rechsteiner, CEO of Innovaare AG told Immo! Nvest. “With its top-class large research facilities, PSI is the largest research institute in Switzerland. In order to promote exchange with industry, several departments are moving into the innovation campus, which is connected to the PSI site by an underpass. This gives you direct access to the particle accelerator opposite. " Park Innovaare already houses 17 high-tech companies in existing buildings. These companies originate from research at the Paul Scherrer Institute, ETH, EPFL and CERN. "For us, a mix of research departments, large industrial companies, development-oriented SMEs and high-tech start-ups is ideal."
Greatest possible flexibility
In order to meet the demands of a modern innovation campus in the long term, the property must be built as flexibly as possible so that later adjustments are possible: to enter into settling companies ». says Rechsteiner, who sees the Innovaare Park as a lighthouse project in the canton of Aargau.
Renewable energy sources
Around 95 percent of the heat requirements of Park Innovaare are covered by waste heat from cooling and around five percent by PSI's district heating network. Highly efficient HFO machines, which draw their energy from the Aare, are used to efficiently generate the cooling energy. From this point of view, the energy requirements of the 38,000 m2 innovation campus for heating and cooling are largely met from renewable sources.

July 2021
A glass tower for bathing

Fritz Merker from Merker Liegenschaften AG is enthusiastic about Angela Deuber's work: “What fascinates me most is the light, airy appearance of the building,” he says. “The niches created by the re-entrant facades, together with the vertical structure from the cantilevered balcony layer, create an overall composition that blends in well with the small-scale surroundings. At the same time, the construction method enables maximum flexibility in terms of apartment sizes and floor plans. " Most of all, Merker is looking forward to the possibility of being able to offer both urban living and commercial space in this central location. Merker Liegenschaften AG is currently in the middle of the process of adapting the special usage plan. One of these has existed for this area since 2003, albeit for an eight-story office building. "With the construction of apartments we want to make a contribution to the mix of living and working in the middle of the up-and-coming district of Baden Nord." The property has been owned by Merker Liegenschaften AG for 20 years. The long wait was definitely worth it: "We can serve the city and the population better with an offer of living space than with even more office space."
Hybrid use
Angela Deuber's project emerged as the winner of the competition, not least because it fits perfectly into the existing building fabric of the city of Baden. At the same time, it creates a reference to the existing and planned high-rise buildings in the area. And how is the use of the new Merker Tower planned today? “A mixed use of rental and owner-occupied apartments is planned. The lower floors are designed as a so-called hybrid, which means that they can be used either for residential purposes or as service or commercial space. Public use is planned for the over-high ground floor. Speaking of the energy budget: it is very likely that the high-rise will be connected to the city's district heating network, which is currently being expanded and upgraded to include renewable energies.
Chur architect Angela Deuber in her element.

July 2021
A milestone for Kapo Aarau

The construction project and the cost estimate for the new police building are available. The public hearing required by law has already been carried out and the building permit has also been issued. In the 3rd quarter of 2021, the Grand Council will decide on the construction loan and its implementation. "A police building is not a building like any other functional cantonal building," says Markus Richner from the Department of Economics and Internal Affairs in the canton of Aargau. "On the one hand, there are special requirements in terms of security, on the other hand, various special uses such as a laboratory, shooting rooms or a room for close combat training – also known as a dojo – must be guaranteed." The construction project is fundamentally undisputed. But as with any other large and complex project, keeping within budget was the greatest challenge. "We assume that the Grand Council will approve the project and the loan applied for in order to create good framework conditions for the further development of the cantonal police," said Richner.
The police building is definite.
Additional overall renovation
After 30 years of operation in 7×24-hour mode, a complete renovation of the police command building is due. This applies in particular to the ventilation and sanitary facilities, including cables, as well as those for high and low current. In addition, structural adjustments are necessary due to changes in use. The improvements in the energetic area are also essential – especially the facade. According to Richner, the planning work was not significantly influenced by the corona pandemic: “All deadlines were met as planned. Due to the corona, many meetings did not take place on site, but rather virtually. I'm really looking forward to the moment when we can hand over the finished new building to the canton police. This is a milestone for the canton police. "

July 2021
An attractive future for Konnex

The Konnex building at Brown-Boveri-Strasse 7 in Baden caused a sensation after its completion in 1995: the owners let the former showpiece of energy-saving construction cost around 150 million francs. Theo Hotz, who has since died, was responsible for the building, which at the time had 2,100 jobs.
In 2015, the US company General Electric took over the energy division of Alstom Power and thus also the employees in Konnex. But at the beginning of 2020, the company announced its large-scale withdrawal from Switzerland. After the last employees moved out, the 42,500 square meter building has been vacant since March 31, 2021.
But this is about to change: Under the patronage of Brandenberger + Ruosch AG (B + R), a new use as a multi-tenant building was developed on behalf of the owners. B + R is responsible for the project initiation through to marketing and commissioning vis-à-vis the owners. Theo Hotz Partner AG was again engaged as general planner.
Although the building was designed for flexible use when it was built, some adjustments are required: “We are planning rental space from 550 square meters. These must be made individually accessible. In future, it should be possible to bill the ancillary costs individually for each area, ”explains Thomas Andermatt from B + R. From July 1st, the first tenants can move in for temporary use. For future long-term tenants, July 1, 2022 is the key date. Upon request, the project organization offers the planning and implementation of the individual tenant fit-out.
A bird's eye view of the Konnex building.
More attractive and livelier thanks to mix-use
Externally, too, the Konnex needs to be refreshed: “The building envelope is being renovated and the surrounding area is being redesigned. We replace the flat roofs and equip them with photovoltaic systems. In addition, the sun protection must be improved, ”says Andermatt. The building is already connected to the district heating of the city of Baden; now district cooling is added. Andermatt: "This is how we can further increase energy efficiency."
In a direct comparison to the development status of the ABB site in Zurich-Oerlikon, the site in Baden is currently lagging significantly, adds Andermatt. And: “In Oerlikon we have an attractive area with a strong combination of different types of living, work, schools, as well as catering and leisure options. The area in Baden is attractive – but today it lacks life outside of working hours, ”he is convinced. Konnex wants to make its contribution to a more attractive area design: "On the ground floor we are planning various catering units and service facilities such as a day-care center, shopping facilities and an outpatient clinic," Andermatt reveals.
The project development takes place in close consultation with the city of Baden. In the future, the ABB site is to include a mix of commercial living, working and service offerings. The Konnex will keep the main focus in the area of office use, but make it as attractive as possible. "We are planning various green zones inside and outside the building." The first lease negotiations are already underway. For Andermatt it is clear: "The new Konnex and the entire ABB site in Baden will in future be at least as attractive as the one in Zurich-Oerlikon."

July 2021
Timber construction project for the Rockwell area

The Aarau Aeschbachquartier with 167 rental apartments, 92 condominiums, the Aeschbachhalle and the Oehlerpark as well as 4600 square meters of commercial space is being expanded. A large part of the Rockwell area, which belongs to the western part of Torfeld Süd, will be linked to the existing quarter. This is made possible because Rockwell Automation GmbH is largely giving up operations there. Only research and development will remain at the site.
The owner of the area, Mobimo Management AG, invited five architecture firms to participate in a study. The specifications were defined as follows: The project is to be carried out in wood and meet the SNBS Gold standard. The client also wanted a clear contrast to the existing and planned properties in Torfeld Süd.
Baumberger & Stegmeier Architects from Zurich emerged victorious from the process. In collaboration with Hoffmann Müller Landschaftsarchitekten and Pirmin Jung Holzbauingenieur, your project provides for an extension of the historic Hall 5. This is supplemented by a courtyard-like new building in the desired timber construction and a spacious square. This creates 110 barrier-free rental apartments of various sizes. In addition, alternative forms of living such as cluster apartments and five commercial units are planned. The timber construction is also consistently implemented inside the property. Several green areas and trees are distributed over the site and take up the vision of the Aeschbach district – that of an «Urban Village».
The first groundbreaking should take place in mid-2023. Completion is scheduled for mid-2025.

July 2021
Innovative quarter on the Henz site

At the Suhr Süd train station, an innovative quarter is being created that combines living and working. To this end, the Henz area – the former location of the steel trading company of the same name – is being completely converted. Condominiums and rental apartments are being built here, some of which can be moved around at the push of a button. The four to twelve storey buildings are characterized, among other things, by their open courtyards. The new quarter connects to the urban train station quarter in the north. In the south, according to the SSA Architekten AG commissioned with the project, the “scale transition to the Helgenfeld and Frohdörfli developments” is successful.
59 condominiums and 143 rental apartments as well as studios and movements – these are furnished apartments with movable modules – as well as commercial, restaurant and service areas are to offer residents a meeting point for young and old after completion in autumn 2023. A 40 meter high building with 12 floors will be particularly striking. Here, on areas of 72 to 119 square meters, 2.5 to 5.5 room apartments with loggias are being built that are for sale. A restaurant and at least two should be on the ground floor
Service companies settled
will.
The garden house has four floors. The condominiums are designed as 2.5 to 5.5 room apartments. With living areas of 68 to 129 m2, loggias, terraces or garden seats, the larger apartments are particularly suitable for families. The so-called courtyard building provides for 15 condominiums. Two more buildings with rental apartments and studios are being built along Gränicherstrasse and Bernstrasse West.
A public square with a café and playground as well as various open spaces connect the area with the surrounding quarters via a network of paths. The property on the southwest corner of the area offers additional outside space. On the other side of the street, a green area belonging to the Henz area with a playground and pavilion is being built. Various commercial and service areas are planned on the ground floors of the building. These uses are intended to enliven and enrich the quarter. The studio areas allow flexible use of living and working.
The sustainable energy strategy includes the supply of district heating from the Buchs waste incineration plant. The energy for the gentle cooling of the apartments in the high-rise is generated by solar energy. Photovoltaic systems on the site generate part of the household electricity. The parking garage is equipped with a charging infrastructure for e-bikes and electric cars.
Condominiums can be configured online by their future residents. Visiting your own four walls in the future is already possible thanks to virtual reality (VR). Halter AG is continuously registering bookings for this offer: "Customers are thrilled with how well they can imagine the premises and, in particular, the view and the ceiling height of 2.60 to 2.80 meters," says Agathe Siffrin from Primus Property AG who takes care of sales for Halter AG. “The combination of VR, configurator and showroom is the optimal solution for showing apartments that will only be ready for occupancy in around two years”, she continues. As of today, over 50 percent of the condominiums are already reserved. The rental starts next year. Interested parties can register for the one to two-hour VR and advisory tour free of charge via the website.

July 2021
A residential area to feel good

With this project, Steiner AG is creating living space for young people, singles, couples, families and senior citizens. In the new quarter there will be attractive housing offers, private retreats and communal meeting areas. Numerous green areas with playgrounds and playgrounds invite you to spend a lot of time outside. At first glance, the many green and recreational areas as well as the bright apartments catch the eye: "We have placed great emphasis on open, well-lit interiors with a beautiful view, which ensure a pleasant, feel-good climate, peace and relaxation," says Stefan Gabriel, Team Leader Real Estate Development at Steiner AG. «The apartments are barrier-free, functional and can be flexibly furnished. Private gardens and community gardens invite you to linger and round off the multi-generational living in the quarter. "
Here, a fallow industrial area is being transformed into a new place to live in the countryside. Existing listed buildings such as the barn and the Alte Post are carefully integrated and revitalized for living and common areas. This project aims to create a comfortable living area that will enrich Fischbach-Göslikon.
Contemporary renovation
Steiner AG sees its project as a symbol of the connection between the past and the future of Fischbach-Göslikon. “The listed barn is an important cultural and historical witness in the community and in the neighborhood – a building that needs to be preserved. The barn is being gently but modernly renovated and used for new purposes. A day-care center with 16 places and a workshop are to be built on the ground floor. A common room for various occasions, such as birthdays or family celebrations, is planned on the upper floor. The room can also be rented by the public, ”says Gabriel.
Start of construction in 2022
The start of construction on the first stage is scheduled for 2022. The overall project, which consists of three stages and should be completed by 2032, will one day include 165 residential units in 10 apartment buildings and 46 row single-family houses. Due to the current design plan, there must be an interval of four years between building applications. Gabriel concludes: “We are now expecting the building permit for the first stage to become legally binding. We are pleased about the excellent cooperation with the authorities and everyone involved. This is an important prerequisite for such a project to be implemented successfully. "
The 165 residential units are all very bright.

July 2021
Swica and Steiner build in Aarau

The health organization Swica from Winterthur and Steiner AG from Zurich want to realize a mixed-use development in the Aarau district of Scheibenschachen, Steiner informs in a press release . Three buildings with a total of around 90 rental and owner-occupied apartments as well as commercial space are to be erected on an area of around 4,000 square meters. A building worthy of protection that is already on the site will be integrated into the project, explains the Zurich-based project development, total and general contractor.

In a first step, the two partner companies want to carry out a study contract for the development of a project plan. It should then be specified and submitted for approval. Construction is scheduled to start in 2023. The construction work should be completed by the end of 2025.

The Scheibenschachen district, which is within walking distance of the historic center of Aarau, has developed "into a popular residential area" over the years, Steiner writes in the press release. According to her, the Zurich-based company has already built two more large residential developments in Scheibenschachen.

July 2021
The borders disappear in the Limmatstadt

The customer magazine " blue " of the electricity works of the canton of Zurich ( EKZ ) dedicates its cover story to the development of the Limmatstadt. In conversation in Schlieren and at urban development centers along the Limmattalbahn, the managing director of the Limmatstadt AG location promotion company, Jasmina Ritz, explains the idea behind the project. “A city is emerging” is the title of the latest edition of “blue” with a photo of Jasmina Ritz on the roof of the Bio-Technopark in Schlieren. "Here we are in the epicenter of the urban development of the Limmatstadt," Ritz is quoted as saying. And: "From up here you can no longer see any boundaries."

With this sentence and in the long conversation with the author Luc Descombes, the person responsible at Limmatstadt AG makes it clear that the advantages and strengths of the individual communities should be brought together in the common vision of the Limmatstadt. "That is why a common self-image is so central," Ritz is quoted as saying. According to the text of “blue”, at least 200,000 people live in the catchment area of the so-called Limmatstadt, depending on the perspective. In the opinion of Jasmina Ritz, this deserves “a strong joint appearance and powerful location marketing”.

In the main story published under the second title "Vision Limmatstadt", the examples of the communities of Schlieren and Dietikon show the emergence of a "liveable city" across the canton border into Aargauische Spreitenbach. The importance of the Limmattalbahn, which is currently under construction, for regional merging is emphasized. Jasmina Ritz says: “Wherever a tram goes, urban space is created. The Limmattalbahn is crucial for the positive development of the region. "

The EKZ's commitment in this area is made clear in "blue" with the company projects. The Dietikon EKZ hydropower station supplies 4,500 households, the Oberengstringen substation has been providing an additional 80 megawatts since 2020 and the EKZ has been laying dozens of kilometers of new lines and conduits for the Limmat Valley Railway since 2020 to strengthen the future power grid in the Limmat city. "Blue" appears twice a year with a circulation of 300,000 copies throughout the canton. The magazine goes to every household.

June 2021
Hächler Group makes Baden city tower future-proof

Specialists in the renovation of historic and listed buildings belonging to the Hächler Group have repaired water damage to the city tower in Baden. According to a press release from the Wettingen construction company, the damage was caused at a height of 30 meters and the entire tufa brickwork was saturated with water.

In order to avoid such water damage in the future after the repair is complete, the most modern technology will be used on the historic building. Every year there will be a control of the drains by means of a drone, it says in the message.

Reto Schwitter – foreman, remodeling and renovation of historic buildings at Hächler – reports on the course of events in the media release. On December 22nd, the remodeling and renovation department of Hächler AG received an emergency message with the information that pieces of plaster were falling from the Baden city tower. The damage was examined the next morning with the help of the turntable ladders of the Baden fire brigade at a height of 30 meters.

The damaged area had been cleaned, but the heavy snow and rain in the following three weeks, followed by night frost, worsened the damage and more pieces of plaster fell off, reports the foreman. A protective net had to be installed in January. In March, the Hächler specialists scaffolded the city tower for the renovation of historical and listed buildings. The historic building material that was soaked in water was identified. After a period of drying out, it was possible to rebuild, reports Polier Schwitter. Now a new gutter has to be installed and then it is necessary to regularly check the Baden city tower at a height of 30 meters – by drone.

June 2021
City of Baden starts revision of land use planning

With the opening event on Saturday, May 29, the participation of the people of Baden in the revision of the land use planning of the city of Baden begins. According to the press release, this revision should take place in several phases and bring a result by 2025, which will then be submitted to the residents' council and the government council for approval.

After 25 years in which various partial revisions have taken place, it is time to undertake an overall revision, the message says. It is about the structural development in view of the expected growth and the effects on settlement, traffic and open space. The guideline for the overall revision is the spatial development concept 2040 of the city of Baden. The structure plan of the canton of Aargau predicts a population growth of plus 34 percent or 6330 people for the city of Baden from 2013 to 2040. At the same time, Baden is listed on the structure plan map as an economic development focus of cantonal importance.

The public should be actively involved in the revision of the land use planning, according to the announcement. Information events, dialogue events, walks and workshops take place regularly under the motto “Baden will”. All information on participation can be found on the wiewird.baden.ch website, which was activated on Wednesday.

The revision of the land-use planning is currently in the first phase, which will determine the process and basis this spring. In the second, a good two-year phase, the draft of the new land use plan is drawn up. In the third phase from 2023 the formal participation and public edition will take place, with the possibility of submitting entries and objections. The third phase will be completed by the city council approving the land use planning revision, is explained in the press release. In phase four, the residents' council and the government council approve the revised land use plan.

April 2021
Basic report on the merger of Baden and Turgi is available

The basic and financial report on the opportunities and risks of a community merger , drawn up by seven working groups with representatives from Baden and Turgi, is now publicly available. According to a media release from the city of Baden, it can now be viewed publicly on the project website under Reports.

According to the press release, the seven working groups from Baden and Turgi examined topics such as authorities, administration, spatial planning, schooling, the local community, forest, factories, and the fire brigade. An independent auditing company analyzed the financial situation and the prospects for the merger.

In addition to the publication on the project website, several information events are planned. On April 7, the two ammen Markus Schneider and Adrian Schoop and the two women vice-men Regula Dell'Anno-Doppler and Astrid Barben will be discussing the knowledge gained in the first phase of the project in a live broadcast. After completing the basic work, those responsible for the project came to the conclusion that the chances of a merger outweigh the above.

On May 6th, a Thursday, and on May 22nd, a Saturday, representatives of the working groups will be available for talks at market stalls on Baden's Schlossbergplatz. On May 7th, the information stand will be set up in Bahnhofstrasse in Turgi.

On June 13, 2021, the citizens of both municipalities will vote on whether they want to commission the Baden City Council and the Turgi City Council to draw up a merger agreement in a second project phase. According to the media release, if both municipalities are yes, the merger agreement would come before the residents' council and the municipal assembly in autumn 2022. The second referendum would take place in March 2023. The merger would take place on January 1, 2024.

If only one of the municipalities voted no on June 13, 2021, the project would end.

March 2021