immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Category: Switzerland

  • Canton sets design plan for ZHAW campus

    Canton sets design plan for ZHAW campus

    The Technikumstrasse campus of the ZHAW in Winterthur will be comprehensively renewed within 15 years, explains the building department of the Canton of Zurich in a message . New buildings and more open space are to be created in four stages. At the same time, the Eulach will be renatured in the area of the technical center. In the first phase, two new laboratory buildings are to be built and a public park is to be set up on the Eulach.

    The corresponding design plan was published from April 6 to June 8, 2020. 31 objections were received against him, mainly in questions of urban integration, the scope, development and nature conservation, informs the building management. Another 18 objections related to the renaturation of the Eulach and the definition of the water area.

    The design plan and the water area have been revised based on the objections and have now been set, the message continues. Both documents and the reports on the objections have been publicly available for 30 days since February 26 and can be viewed on the Internet . If no legal remedies are taken, they will come into force at the end of March this year. Then the city of Winterthur could issue the building permit for the first stage.

  • Trusttechnology equips Turin with pavilions

    Trusttechnology equips Turin with pavilions

    Turin, the capital of Piedmont, has ordered 50 of its pavilions from the Ticino start-up Trusttechnology. The aim is to equip the bars and restaurants in the so-called Murazzi buildings along the banks of the Po. A report on startupticker.ch provides information on this.

    These transparent protective structures fold up automatically when required, powered by batteries, and then only take up about one square meter of space. This corresponds to the city's flood protocol: when the water level rises in the arcades and boathouses on the west bank of the Po, they can be quickly stowed away by the staff present. Their installation is planned as soon as the catering industry is allowed to reopen after the corona lockdown.

    According to the announcement, the entrepreneurial journey of the now 47-year-old owner Tiziano Pili led from an advanced semester at the University of Applied Sciences South Switzerland and the Venturelab via the Tecnopolo of the Agire Foundation in Manno TI, where he founded his company. In 2014, Pili received an international patent and then the Swiss Made certification. As a finalist in the StartCup Ticino competition, he was finally accepted into the USI Startup Center of the University of Italian Switzerland .

    "I believe that the solution I have designed will radically change the market for temporary protective structures outdoors," says Pili. "The ink on the contract is not dry yet, as I am already finalizing the contract negotiations with a large company near Asti that would also like to invest in this solution."

  • Novartis is developing the site into a life science park

    Novartis is developing the site into a life science park

    The biotechnology and pharmaceutical company Novartis has announced plans to open its production site in Stein and locate more life science companies there. According to a press release, the Rheintal Life Science Park is to be built there.

    "Switzerland is an important location for our production network," is how Steffen Lang, head of Novartis Technical Operations and member of the group management, is quoted. Investments of more than CHF 200 million in 2020 and 2021 at the Stein and Schweizerhalle locations confirmed Novartis' commitment to the region. "With the further development of the Stein location into the Rheintal Life Science Park, we are sending a positive signal for Switzerland as an industrial center and the Aargau region."

    The location offers an ideal environment, access to highly qualified employees from the region and state-of-the-art facilities, for example for the production of cell and gene therapies.

    The Novartis plans are also approved by the cantonal location promotion agency Aargau Services . After all, according to its director Annelise Alig Anderhalden, “the whole Sisslerfeld” is an “important place of work and a focus of development for the canton. The area has great potential for businesses with high added value. "

  • Domat / Ems station area is being converted

    Domat / Ems station area is being converted

    The Rhaetian Railway (RhB ) wrote in a press release that the Domat / Ems station area is getting "a new face". According to her, the Graubünden railway company will renew the Domat / Ems station and make it accessible for the disabled. "We are building a modern train station that is adapted to the needs of our customers and to those of the community," RhB director Renato Fasciati is quoted in the announcement.

    Specifically, the RhB wants to extend both platforms at the station and partially cover them. In addition, a pedestrian underpass is to be built and equipped with handicapped-accessible ramps and stairs. The municipality of Domat / Ems contributes two passenger lifts. In addition, the RhB plans to equip sidewalks and streets with a continuous separation at the three secured level crossings.

    At the same time, the municipality of Domat / Ems is tackling extensive changes in the station area. The heart of the building plans is a new commercial and residential building directly on the platform. The four-storey building will have space for public use on the ground floor and living and office space on the other three floors, according to the announcement. In addition, a new space is planned on the south side of the station. The number of bicycle parking spaces available at the station will be increased to around 300. All construction work planned by the municipality and the railway company should be completed in summer 2023.

    "Good transport links are central to the community of Domat / Ems – for the numerous commuters, but also as an important commercial and industrial location," said Mayor Erich Kohler (CVP) in the message. "The overall project creates a modern, functional train station area that optimally meets high requirements for user-friendliness and audience-oriented uses."

  • Schlieren drives the upgrading of Kesslerplatz

    Schlieren drives the upgrading of Kesslerplatz

    The Migros Pension Fund's investment foundation has presented a design plan for Kesslerplatz. After the transfer of the private design plan from the local council to the local parliament, "the city of Schlieren will soon come a big step closer to its goal," as a media release said.

    As part of the planned upgrading of the square, the high-rise is to be preserved. The design plan also provides for four new structures. One of them is intended for commercial use, the other three are intended to provide living space. A total of 103 new apartments, a double kindergarten and a multi-purpose room are to be created as a result. For the realization of the kindergarten, the city of Schlieren has agreed with the investment foundation of the Migros pension fund both an exchange of land and compensation of CHF 2.11 million.

    Work is scheduled to begin in spring or summer 2022, and move-in is to take place from spring / summer 2024. Since the double kindergarten will not be available until a year later, “the Migros Pension Fund's investment foundation will cover 50 percent of the rental costs for a temporary arrangement, the remaining rental costs are also included in the compensation”, according to the city of Schlieren.

    With the upgrading of Kesslerplatz, a “high-quality and attractive entrance gate” to Schlieren should be created, which will also be optimally connected to the Limmattalbahn.

  • Innovation Park Zurich has billions of potential

    Innovation Park Zurich has billions of potential

    The Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich foundation commissioned the economic research institute BAK Economics to carry out a scientific study on the economic significance of the Zurich Innovation Park (IPZ ). The study comes to the conclusion that the direct and indirect added value of the IPS could add up to around 2.7 billion francs per year if fully expanded. With a share of 90 percent of the total value added, the canton of Zurich would benefit particularly strongly.

    The extensive study is divided into seven sections, ranging from the motivation for the analysis, the importance of innovation for the economy and society, the position of the Canton of Zurich in the innovation competition, to a detailed evaluation of the role that the Innovation Park Zurich plays in promoting growth and Prosperity could play rich. The study confirms that the canton of Zurich is underrepresented in industry, particularly in the high-tech sectors. According to the study authors, the IPZ could make a decisive contribution to upgrading the canton as an innovation location.

    According to the authors, the IPZ could form the “risk area” necessary for transformation innovations in addition to the corresponding risk capital. The park should position itself as a "link between universities, research institutes, the start-up scene and research-based industry", according to the study. Structures created there could enable “global players” to settle in innovative areas such as “mobility, space travel, aviation, robotics, greentech or new materials”.

    The Zurich Chamber of Commerce ( ZHK ) sees the results of the study as confirmation of their longstanding support for the innovation park. They show how important this is for the business and research location, she writes in a statement on the study. The ZHK hopes that the added value of the innovation park will lead to an acceleration of the ongoing procedures.

  • Swiss residential property will become 2.5 percent more expensive in 2020

    Swiss residential property will become 2.5 percent more expensive in 2020

    According to a press release from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the average annual tax rate for home ownership in Switzerland in 2020 is 2.5 percent. This value results from the comparison of the average annual inflation rates of 2019 with 2020. In relation to the last quarter of 2020 the inflation rate was lower. Compared to the third quarter, the residential property price index (IMPI) increased by 2.3 percent. It reached a level of 103.1 points. Compared to the same quarter in the previous year, the rate of inflation was 3.1 percent, reports the FSO.

    To explain the calculation of the annual mean inflation, the FSO states that the average annual inflation 2020 of the IMPI of 2.5 percent would correspond to the rate of change between the annual mean 2020 and the annual mean 2019. These annual averages are calculated as the arithmetic mean of the four quarterly indices for the calendar year.

    The announcement shows an increased interest in houses compared to apartments: the prices of single-family houses have risen by an average of 2.8 percent over the whole of last year and the prices of condominiums by an average of 2.2 percent.

    In the fourth quarter of 2020, however, there was greater demand for apartments than for houses, which was reflected in the price. The price for single-family houses rose by 1.5 percent, but for condominiums by 3.1 percent. Both market segments show higher prices in all of the five types of municipality than in the previous quarter. The rise in single-family house prices was particularly pronounced in the medium-sized communities with a plus of 2.4 percent. In contrast, prices for condominiums rose the most in rural communities: by 5.2 percent.

    The differentiation between types of municipality by the FSO is based on density, size and accessibility criteria, such as commuter movements. Of the 2,172 municipalities in Switzerland as of January 1, 2021, 22 percent are urban, 52 percent rural and 26 percent intermediate.

  • Zürcher Weinland supports first project

    Zürcher Weinland supports first project

    ProWeinland has, according to a media release with AgroCO2ncept selected the first project, with funds from the New Regional Policy ( NRP is supported). AgroCO2ncept is an association of farmers founded in 2012. They had set themselves the goal of reducing their operations' greenhouse gas emissions and spending by 20 percent. This resource project will run until 2022.

    The second goal is now being tackled: the added value is to be increased by 20 percent through the transfer of knowledge and the sale of climate-friendly regional products. To this end, the association has initiated a marketing project that can now be funded. In addition, the association members want to pass on their knowledge to other producers inside and outside the Zurich wine region and thus promote climate-friendly agriculture.

    The Zurich Weinland region has been part of the New Regional Policy of the Canton of Zurich since 2020. The ProWeinland association was entrusted by the canton as the regional project sponsor of the program. Pro Weinland is “very pleased to be able to support and accompany such a promising project in the initial phase of the funding program”.

  • Made in Zurich breaks the lance for urban production

    Made in Zurich breaks the lance for urban production

    Made in Zurich wants to unite “urban productivists” of all kinds, explains the initiative founded in 2018 in its self-portrayal . Even when it was founded, the Made in Zurich initiative set out to investigate questions about production in the city, writes the initiative in a recent press release . For this purpose, Made in Zurich created the study “ Locations for urban production and retail – SUPR ”.

    The study examines historical developments and current trends and uses them to develop proposals for urban production. In addition, the analysts sound out the framework conditions for urban production in Zurich. Among other things, they investigate the question of what urban producers need and which urban areas are suitable for urban production.

    The guidelines are intended to provide “instructions for action and food for thought”, writes the Made in Zurich initiative in the communication. The addressees named there are “the public sector, developers and, last but not least, the producers themselves”.

    In the fifth chapter of the study, the authors deal with particularly important aspects of urban production. The entire final chapter of the study is devoted to recommendations for action for the implementation of locations for urban production and retail.

  • Sevensense co-founder praises Switzerland as a location for robotics

    Sevensense co-founder praises Switzerland as a location for robotics

    Roland Siegwart is Professor of Autonomous Systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ). He is also co-director of the Wyss Zurich funding program. In 2018 Siegwart co-founded the ETH spin-off Sevensense Robotics. The company, based in Zurich, develops technologies for robots that help them, for example, with independent orientation. Sevensense also works with Deutsche Bahn to develop technologies for the future of train travel.

    In an interview published on the Sevensense blog page, Siegwart praised Switzerland as a location for robotics. All important specialist knowledge for robotics is available in the country. On the one hand, precision mechanics, which have a "long tradition in Switzerland", are particularly important. On the other hand, sensor technology plays an important role in the industry. This is less known worldwide, but Switzerland is already very advanced in this regard.

    Siegwart also praises the ETH Zurich and the ETH Lausanne (EPFL). The two universities would provide the necessary control and intelligence to be able to make good use of the existing specialist knowledge, he emphasizes. They would also spawn a multitude of successful spin-offs – especially in the robotics area. Switzerland has also been able to attract a large pool of foreign talent who further strengthen the robotics scene.

    Switzerland still has some catching up to do when it comes to major investments. Investors in Europe are generally more risk averse compared to those in the USA. However, this also helps European start-ups develop a sustainable, customer-oriented approach. Accordingly, the survival rate of start-ups – for example in Switzerland – is much higher than that of those in the USA. The long-term survival rate of the ETH spin-offs is 80 to 90 percent.

  • Dietikon relies on location advertising with comedian duo Lapsus

    Dietikon relies on location advertising with comedian duo Lapsus

    The city of Dietikon relies on humor in its location advertising. According to a media release, the well-known Dietiker comedian duo Lapsus has therefore received the order to subject their residential area to a critical examination and to record their impressions. It is said that funny, self-deprecating video productions were created.

    The videos can now be viewed on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. The first is entitled “Dietikon from its most beautiful side”. Dietikon is presented as a noisy and urban city with idyllic green areas as the train passes by. The second video introduces the open-air gallery “DietikON – experience light art”, which will run until the end of February, with humorous puns. Further topics are planned.

    The core of the campaign, which will last in May, is self-irony, according to the media release. The plan is to publish six to seven videos, which will make the qualities and location advantages of the city visible and promote the city's positioning as a center for business, culture, education, local recreation, sport and leisure.

    It is emphasized that the topics have been discussed with the city. The comedians are free to implement it.

  • Zurich and Singapore are exploring big cities

    Zurich and Singapore are exploring big cities

    The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ) and three Singapore-based universities – the National University of Singapore , the Nanyang Technological University and the Singapore University of Technology and Design – want to jointly research how the global growth of cities can be made more sustainable. To this end, according to a press release on December 1, they launched the Future Cities Lab Global research program. It is an extension of the Future Cities Laboratory of the Singapore-ETH Center , which was successfully completed after ten years.

    This program deals with the major global challenges of increasing urbanization caused by the expansion of existing cities and the emergence of new ones. This against the background that, according to the United Nations, two thirds of the world's population will live in cities by 2050.

    “The ecological and economic advantages of densely populated cities that do not take up much space are being wiped out by the urban sprawl in the hinterland,” explains Professor Stephen Cairns, co-director of the research program and ETH architecture professor in Singapore. "The extent to which we can curb climate change in the next hundred years depends on how well these contrasting city forms are planned."

    Numerous projects are being planned, according to ETH Zurich. Those that have already started dealt with compacted green buildings and quarters, the materials for them and new technologies for the recycling of building materials. In addition, solutions for polluted and flood-prone cities and surrounding regions are sought. Possibilities for sustainable food production in cities and their surrounding areas are also being explored.

  • VZ Depotbank builds headquarters in the Tech Cluster Zug

    VZ Depotbank builds headquarters in the Tech Cluster Zug

    VZ Depotbank AG and Urban Assets Zug, a subsidiary of Metall Zug AG , have signed a letter of intent for the construction of the new bank headquarters on the area of the Tech Cluster Zug . The Metall Zug Group will provide information on this in a media release . As it says in it, this signature triggers the start of the overall development of the two high-rise buildings CreaTowers East and CreaTowers West.

    VZ Depotbank is expected to move into the 40 meter high east tower in 2025. In a second construction phase, the up to 60 meter high west tower is to be built for urban uses and living, among other things. A shared underground car park is planned for both. The architecture competition is expected to be completed in 2021.

    According to the Metall Zug Group, the development of the Tech Cluster Zug is “ another big step forward shortly after the project was communicated for SHL Medical AG in November 2020”. At that time , Metall Zug announced that the provider of drug delivery systems would build a combined production and office building on the site.

  • Zurich Airport welcomes new tenants

    Zurich Airport welcomes new tenants

    AMAG , Bruno Wickart , RehaClinic , cermony Swiss and Vebego have signed rental contracts for sales, event, therapy and office space in The Circle , according to a statement from Flughafen Zürich AG . In addition to shops and service providers, The Circle also houses restaurants and a Hyatt Regency Hotel.

    The car dealer AMAG is now also setting up a center for new mobility in The Circle. The furniture store Bruno Wickart will present offers for work and living in a new exhibition area. The RehaClinic will move its RehaCenter from the airport to The Circle in mid-2021. The real estate service provider Vebego is creating a location for its international activities in The Circle. And cermony is opening its Bliss Center for massages and other health-promoting services in spring.

  • Government is slowing down traffic planning for Baden

    Government is slowing down traffic planning for Baden

    The new overall traffic concept for the Baden-Wettingen area has to go into an additional planning loop. According to a press release , the Aargau government council decided to leave the concept at the stage of the interim result. In doing so, he is responding to reservations that were expressed in the public hearing.

    In the hearing, for example, it was demanded that the Baden high bridge could also be used by cars in the future. This would also eliminate the need for a new Limmat bridge between Baden and Wettingen. In the Siggenthal a higher traffic load is feared. With the additional planning loop, the continuation of the Limmattalbahn beyond Killwangen could also be included in the planning in the future.

    However, the government council makes an exception in the overall transport concept: the Velosteg between Neuenhof and Würenlos should already be specified in the structure plan. This could secure the federal funds for the project.

    The overall traffic concept for the Brugg-Windisch area, on the other hand, is to be specified in the structure plan. These include the center relief and the bike route.

  • Hirslanden Klinik St. Anna is being renewed

    Hirslanden Klinik St. Anna is being renewed

    The Hirslanden Klinik St. Anna in Lucerne will start renovating its infrastructure in March. This emerges from a message from the clinic on LinkedIn. Initially, work is being carried out on an extension (wing G), which will be located in the area of today's inner courtyard between the car park and the clinic. Among other things, the Institute for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine will be located there.

    From 2023, as part of a second phase, the demolition of two parts of the building is to start, some of which date from the early days of the clinic. These parts of the building will be replaced by a new building (wing A +). This is to become the new heart of future clinic operations.

    The entire construction project should be completed in 2027. According to an article in the “Luzerner Zeitung”, Hirslanden is investing a total of more than 100 million francs in the renovation.

    "With the construction project we are building a bridge to the future," said clinic director Martin Nufer in the article in the "Luzerner Zeitung". The investment also makes it possible to close supply gaps. “In oncology, for example, thanks to the renovation, we can finally also offer radiotherapy, which requires special equipment and facilities. We simply didn't have enough space in today's building, ”says Nufer.

    The St. Anna Clinic in Lucerne was founded in 1911 by the St. Anna Sisters community and has been part of the Hirslanden Private Clinic Group since 2005.

  • Drilling for the Ennetsee heating network begins

    Drilling for the Ennetsee heating network begins

    According to a press release from WWZ , the construction of the 6.5 kilometer long heat transport pipeline from Perlen to Rotkreuz is in the starting blocks. It is part of the Ennetsee heating network. A challenge of this construction phase is the trenchless crossing under the Reuss and the A14 motorway. To this end, WWZ is starting these days between the sports field of the Root LU sports club and the Rütilöli area in Inwil LU with two pilot drillings for protective plastic pipes. The official start of construction is at the end of March, beginning of April.

    The official start of construction of this heat transport pipeline from the Renergia waste incineration plant in Perlen to Rotkreuz is planned for this spring. The district heating pipes would then also be pulled into the protective pipes under the A14 motorway. After completion of the major project, the region should save around 12,000 tons of CO2 annually.

  • Alain Baumgartner complements the management team at Zug Estates

    Alain Baumgartner complements the management team at Zug Estates

    Alain Baumgartner, MRICS, has been Head Real Estate Portfolio Management and member of the extended management team at Avobis Group AG in Zurich since October 2019. Before that, he worked for over 10 years as a portfolio manager at Swiss Life Asset Management AG, most recently as Head Portfolio Commercial / Centers and Deputy Head of Portfolio Management. Mr. Baumgartner holds a MAS Master's in Advanced Studies in Real Estate Management from the HWZ University of Applied Sciences in Zurich.

  • Asking rents continue to rise

    Asking rents continue to rise

    The coronavirus pandemic has hardly left any traces on the market for rental apartments, writes homegate.ch in a message on the annual review of the homegate.ch rental index. It is created monthly by the real estate portal owned by the TX Group in collaboration with Zürcher Kantonalbank . For 2020, the rent index shows an increase in asking rents for apartments of 0.9 percent year-on-year. This means that apartment rents have even risen faster than in the previous year, explains homegate.ch.

    The analysts observed the sharpest increase in rental prices in the year under review with 2.7 percent in Appenzell. In the cantons of Geneva, Thurgau, Zug, Graubünden and Zurich, rents have also risen faster than the Swiss average, with values between 2.6 and 2.3 percent, the press release explains. Rising net immigration is mentioned as the background for the rental price development.

    The gap in rent prices between urban and rural cantons that had prevailed in previous years was weakened in the reporting year, the analysts further explain in the press release. On the one hand, they attribute this to the concentration of the construction industry in urban regions. On the other hand, the work in the home office, which was funded during the pandemic, "led to evasive effects in the countryside". Urban living remains in trend despite the pandemic.

  • Zurich adapts real estate strategy to growth

    Zurich adapts real estate strategy to growth

    Liegenschaften Stadt Zürich (LSZ) acts as the owner, investor and manager of buildings in the city that are rented to third parties. Now LSZ has redefined its strategy to take the city's growth into account. “This growth is gratifying and confirms the policy of the city council. At the same time, however, it also poses a challenge, for example in relation to the increasing need for space for urban infrastructure and non-profit living, ”City Councilor Daniel Leupi is quoted in a communication from the City of Zurich , head of the finance department.

    In the context of the fields of action residential, commercial / special real estate and land reserves / building rights, priorities are to be set in the future. This includes the preservation of small businesses, the transparent leasing of both residential and commercial space, digitization and ecological sustainability.

    In addition, land reserves, which will not be finalized until the next few years, are to be opened for temporary use. This would create free spaces, "which are also used very actively culturally and not commercially and thus contribute to a colorful and diverse city," says von Leupi.

  • Ludicious Zurich Game Festival ceases operations

    Ludicious Zurich Game Festival ceases operations

    The city of Zurich and the Pro Helvetia cultural foundation will no longer continue the Ludicious Zurich Game Festival, according to a media release . The event was considered to be one of the largest gaming festivals in German-speaking countries. It consisted of a combination of presentations, panel discussions, seminars and awards ceremonies. The event last took place digitally in July 2020 due to the corona pandemic.

    The city of Zurich intends to support Swiss game developers in the future in other formats, according to the announcement. Meanwhile, Pro Helvetia wants to get involved in the presentation of Swiss developers at international conferences.

    “I am very sad to see Ludicious disappear after years of growth. At the same time, we are aware that we have helped to bring the Swiss game developers together and to support them, ”said Ludicious President Chris Bergstresser as quoted in the press release.

  • Poenina takes over Kälte 3000 AG

    Poenina takes over Kälte 3000 AG

    Bündner Kälte 3000 AG will belong to Poenina Holding as of March 31, 2021, the building services group from the Zurich economic area informed in a message . According to her, the relevant contract was signed on January 15th. The notification does not provide any information about the purchase price.

    "With the acquisition of Kälte 3000 AG, we are continuing our growth strategy in the core competence areas of heating and cooling," said Jean Claude Bregy, CEO of the Poenina Group, in the press release. The new acquisition, which specializes in services for refrigeration technology, has, in addition to its headquarters in Landquart, branches in Samedan GR, Untereggen SG and Regensdorf ZH. The company's annual turnover is estimated at around 15 million francs.

    The previous directors Ronny Berry, Robert Gadient and Pius Gruber will also manage Kälte 3000 AG under the Poenina umbrella. The company will also continue to operate under its old name, informs Poenina in the announcement.

  • Dietikon chooses architecture project for school expansion

    Dietikon chooses architecture project for school expansion

    The winner in the architecture competition for the expansion of the Wolfsmatt school complex in Dietikon has been determined. The Zurich architectural office Bünzli Courvoisier was awarded the contract by the Dietiker city council. On the one hand, according to the media release, the design “In the green” was convincing by retaining the basic idea of a pavilion school with arcades between the units and a structurally enclosed playground. On the other hand, the offer was also among the cheapest, it is said.

    The school house expansion has become necessary because of the increasing number of students. The Wolfsmatt facility was built in 1962 and has become too small. Today, according to the announcement, it has to be expanded to include two more primary class trains, group, daycare and multi-purpose rooms as well as a gym. The extensions will be built to the south of the existing facility. This should also create a new access. From a landscape point of view, the current figure of pavilion buildings and surrounding open spaces will be preserved and logically supplemented, according to the announcement.

    The contract for the general planning team under the leadership of Bünzli Courvoisier Architekten AG is to be awarded in a referendum in 2022. If approved, construction is to begin in 2024. The model for the project can be viewed in the foyer of the town hall from now until February 12th.

  • Jasmina Ritz promotes the idea of the Limmatstadt

    Jasmina Ritz promotes the idea of the Limmatstadt

    According to Jasmina Ritz, the Limmat Valley and the idea of the Limmat City is more than just the route between Baden and Zurich. The managing director of Limmatstadt AG , now based in Schlieren, pointed out in an interview in the customer magazine "blue" of the electricity works of the canton of Zurich ( EKZ ) that the change from an agglomeration area to a coherent urban area has long been taking place there. "We accompany this change, bundle resources, combine the advantages and strengths of the individual communities into a common Limmat city", Ritz is quoted as saying. It names four important cornerstones for the realization of the idea of transforming the many municipalities – which are not to be merged – into a city on the Limmat: Networking of municipalities and politicians, the economy and the population. As a second point, Ritz mentions the positioning of the region with a common face, the development of the region as well as image promotion and the creation of a supra-regional awareness.

    From Jasmina Ritz's point of view, the Limmattalbahn is very important for the desired cohesion. The managing director is quoted as saying that it is not just a huge commitment to the federal and cantonal region. The railway networks the communities and is the backbone of urban development, "Without the tram, the Limmat Valley would have been just an agglomeration", Ritz is quoted as saying in "blue".

    This growing together and a shared cross-border vision was made possible by the development in the Limmat Valley. In the past, this was only perceived as an industrial location and a traffic axis. But a common city on the Limmat with its numerous municipalities would have much more economic and political weight. Limmatstadt AG is setting a cultural and economic agenda for the entire region. The regional magazine "36 km" – named after the length of the Limmat between Zurich and Baden – draws attention to regional products or recommends the best hiking trails, bike routes and the like. The daily newsletter “punkt4 Limmatstadt”, in which the activities of the companies are exclusively present, contributes to the “branding strategy”, ie the anchoring of the name Limmatstadt in the consciousness. Ritz: "There is no other region."

  • Limmatstadt AG is now based in Schlieren

    Limmatstadt AG is now based in Schlieren

    The Limmatstadt AG location promotion organization has moved from Zurich to Schlieren. With the new year she is now based in JED , the former NZZ printing company. From the new premises within the Coworking Space Branch Collab on the ground floor of JED, managing director Jasmina Ritz and her employees will continue to campaign for the Limmattal location and are now even closer to the pulse of the region, as a message shows .

    In JED with anchor tenants such as Zühlke and Halter , innovations are promoted and jobs are created. The Coworking Space Branch Collab also contributes to this with its flexible workspaces and as a platform for collaborative work. The companies and entrepreneurs based in JED as well as Limmatstadt AG benefit from the easy accessibility via the Limmattalbahn (Wagonsfabrik stop).

  • Implenia is building on the Empa campus in Dübendorf

    Implenia is building on the Empa campus in Dübendorf

    Implenia is implementing the first stage of the new Empa campus in Dübendorf. According to its media release , the construction company will build a laboratory building, a multifunctional building and a multi-storey car park for the Federal Water Supply Agency (Eawag) from spring 2021. Completion is planned for autumn 2023. The order volume is around CHF 56 million.

    This winning project by sam architects emerged from a two-stage overall performance competition. In the press release, Implenia describes its architectural language as “functionally elegant and elegantly reserved”. All new buildings are to receive a Minergie-P-Eco certification.

    "We are very pleased that we are able to carry out another interesting project for Empa Eawag with the research campus", Jens Vollmar, Head Division Buildings at Implenia, is quoted in the press release. "We are thus building on the longstanding relationship that we were able to develop, for example, with the successful implementation of the Chriesbach Forum, also in Dübendorf."

  • Dietikon bietet Lichtkunst in der dunklen Jahreszeit

    Dietikon bietet Lichtkunst in der dunklen Jahreszeit

    Mit Lichtkunst der Kulturabstinenz trotzen lautet das Motto der abendlichen Dauerpräsentation „DietikON – Lichtkunst erleben“ vom 15. Januar bis 28. Februar im Stadtzentrum von Dietikon. Die Lichtkunst wird jeweils von 17 bis 22 Uhr das Zentrum erhellen. Das Spektrum der Arbeiten von zwölf Künstlerinnen und Künstlern aus der ganzen Schweiz reicht laut einer Ankündigung von poetischen Arbeiten bis hin zu kräftigen, plakativen Werken.

    „Das Projekt ‚DietikON – Lichtkunst erleben‘ soll Licht in die Stadt bringen und den vielen Menschen Trost und Zuversicht spenden, die sich in dieser dunklen Jahreszeit einsam oder in ihrer Freiheit eingeengt fühlen“, wird Stadtpräsident Roger Bachmann in einer Mitteilung zitiert. Schliesslich habe die Dietiker Bevölkerung im Dezember auf den Chlauseinzug und den Weihnachtsmarkt verzichten müssen. Auch sei die Weihnachtsbeleuchtung im Dietiker Stadtzentrum bescheidener ausgefallen als in den Vorjahren, weil infolge der Bauarbeiten viele Kandelaber fehlten. Deshalb habe ein Projektteam rund um die Standortförderung mit „DietikON“ eine Ausstellung organisiert, die Kunstschaffenden die Möglichkeit bietet, ihre Werke im öffentlichen Raum vorzustellen und so Licht und Trost in die dunkle Jahreszeit zu bringen.

    Der Grossteil der Objekte werde im Aussenraum stehen, heisst es auf der Kulturseite der Stadt Dietikon. Dort sind auch die Standorte auf einem Stadtplan eingezeichnet. Vereinzelt werden auch Schaufenster und Innenräume bespielt. Die wenigen im Innenraum aufgestellten Kunstwerke können, ganz corona-konform, durch Schaufenster betrachtet werden, die Räumlichkeiten müssen dafür nicht betreten werden, heist es dort.

    Gezeigt würden sowohl neu erarbeitete Werke, die einzig für die Stadt Dietikon geschaffen wurden und auch mit den örtlichen Gegebenheiten spielen, als auch bereits bestehende Werke, die durch den neuen Kontext der urbanen Stadtlandschaft eine andere Bedeutung erhalten, wird Cinzia Marti von der Standortförderung Dietikon zitiert.

  • Canton Schaffhausen increases stake in cantonal works

    Canton Schaffhausen increases stake in cantonal works

    The canton of Schaffhausen is buying a temporarily owned 10 percent stake from its power station, informs the canton administration in a message . The shares were sold by the canton to EKS three years ago when the canton took over a total of 25 percent of EKS from Axpo Holding . At that time, the canton had sold the remaining 15 percent to EKT Holding AG ( EKT ) from Thurgau.

    The canton paid Axpo a total of CHF 53 million in 2017 to acquire the block of shares. They were reapplied by reselling 10 percent to EKS at a price of 21.2 million francs and reselling 15 percent to EKT at a price of 31.8 million francs.

    In January of last year, the canton considered buying back the shares held by EKS as part of its ownership strategy, the announcement further explains. The EKS never intended to hold the shares itself in the long term, it says there. As the purchase price, the two partners have agreed the price of 21.2 million francs already paid for the transaction three years ago.

    After the transaction, the canton will hold an 85 percent stake in its cantonal works. The remaining 15 percent of the EKS should remain in the possession of EKT. The canton administration wrote that this was welcomed “particularly with a view to the synergy potential in the network area, both by the government council of the canton of Schaffhausen and the government council of the canton of Thurgau as well as the boards of directors of EKS and EKT”.

  • Construction plans in Zurich North Next step for densification in Neu-Oerlikon

    Construction plans in Zurich North Next step for densification in Neu-Oerlikon

    Zurich's plans for Neu-Oerlikon: This is how the space around the train station should be designed. Red are buildings with a height of 80 meters, orange are those with a height of 54 and yellow are those with a height of 45 meters. Image: Master plan 07/10/2018

    More apartments, more jobs, more shops, more culture. North of the Oerlikon train station, “an attractive, urban-planning center is to be created”, says structural engineering supervisor André Odermatt (SP). To this end, the city council approved a partial revision of the Neu-Oerlikon special building regulations from 1998.

    The new regulations are a "huge opportunity" for Oerlikon, says Odermatt. "We are improving the plans from the 1990s and bringing them to a close."

    The partial revision allows a clear consolidation. Two skyscrapers with heights of 80 and 54 meters are planned on Max-Frisch-Platz. A total of 400 to 500 new apartments are to be built between Binzmühlestrasse and Oerlikon train station. In around half of them, non-profit housing construction is possible, according to the Urban Development Office.

    ABB cedes city property

    The city developed the plans together with the three major landowners, the canton of Zurich and the companies ABB Immobilien AG and AXA Leben. The city can claim some of the profit generated by the rezoning.

    The city receives money from the canton and AXA Leben – how much is not yet public. She would like to use the amount to improve the infrastructures in the neighborhood. ABB Immobilien will provide the city with the property on which Hall 550 is located. "In this way we can secure the existence of Hall 550," says Odermatt. This makes an important contribution to the cultural offerings in Oerlikon. The city is also taking over the property south of it. There she is planning charitable apartments.

    The special building regulations guarantee that with Hall 550 and the former ABB brick building 87T, two buildings from the industrial past will remain. In addition, they should create a greener quarter. Max-Frisch-Platz and a pedestrian zone are being enlarged. Shops and restaurants on the ground floors should keep the streets busy.

    Next, the local council will discuss the new building regulations. They will come into force in mid-2022 at the earliest. Then the owners can start planning their properties.

  • Empa steel adhesives last 50 years

    Empa steel adhesives last 50 years

    In the large test laboratory of the Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt ( Empa ) in Dübendorf, a test has been running for 50 years to examine the long-term behavior of bonded steel reinforcement on a concrete beam. In this long-term test, which is unique worldwide, according to the media release , several reinforced concrete girders were reinforced with steel lamellas glued to the underside. One of the girders, which has been subjected to 87 percent of its predetermined breaking value for 50 years, has so far held out without any problems.

    “After 50 years below 87 percent of the average breaking load, the epoxy resin bond shows no weaknesses. This means that bonded steel lamellar reinforcements have passed the long-term test, ”says engineer Christoph Czaderski, who has overseen the test over the past few years.

    According to the announcement, the carrier is one of originally six identical specimens, all of which were subjected to different tests. The five other reinforced beams fell victim to fairly successful static fracture and dynamic fatigue tests that exceeded their load limits. The aim of the tests was to find out how well epoxy resin works as an adhesive for attaching a steel lamella to a concrete beam. According to Czaderski, the long-term test shows "practically no shifts" in the adhesive joint after 50 years.

    What was new territory at the beginning of the test is now state of the art. The process is important because it allows older buildings to be reliably reinforced instead of being torn down and replaced by new buildings.

    Empa's “Engineering Structures” department has been developing and researching new, simple and inexpensive reinforcement methods with modern materials such as epoxy resins, carbon fiber-reinforced plastics and shape memory alloys for many years.