According to a press release from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ), around 361 million francs in subsidies for energy-efficient building refurbishment were approved by the federal government and the cantons in 2021. This is the highest amount that has been invested in renovation and new construction projects since the program was launched. Compared to 2020, the funding amount has increased by CHF 62 million.
Thermal insulation projects, which were funded with CHF 126 million, received the largest amount. The highest increase of 70 percent compared to 2020 was achieved by building services projects, which received CHF 106 million in grants. The commitments for energy-related measures that will be implemented over the next five years have reached a new high of CHF 490 million.
The high demand for subsidies can be attributed to the broad approval of owners for energy-efficient renovation of their properties or new builds. According to calculations, the measures approved in the year under review will lead to a reduction in energy consumption in buildings throughout Switzerland by 6.5 billion kilowatt hours and lower CO2 emissions by around 1.8 million tonnes over their lifetime.
According to the statement, the building program has proven to be an effective instrument of Swiss energy and climate policy. A total of around CHF 2.7 billion has been paid out under the funding program since its introduction in 2010. The building program also has a positive effect on the economy. In 2021, 2,300 full-time jobs and around CHF 97 million in additional domestic value were created.
Was ist eigentlich ein „lebenswertes Gebäude“? Früher waren Häuser einfache Gebäude, in denen Menschen vor allem geschlafen und gegessen haben. Heute muss ein Gebäude mehr können: „Wir wollen uns darin wohlfühlen, zur Ruhe kommen, ohne Barrieren fortbewegen und am besten nachhaltig leben. Es schafft nicht nur einen Raum, sondern muss zu den Nutzern und deren Bedürfnissen passen – und zwar heute und in Zukunft. Erst dann sprechen wir von einem lebenswerten Gebäude“, erläutert Sören Eilers.
Gebäude werden in der Gegenwart für die Zukunft errichtet Dabei haben sich die Anforderungen allein in den vergangenen 15 Jahren stark gewandelt: Die Denkweise der Menschen hat sich verändert, zudem herrschen regionale Unterschiede, wenn es um die Frage geht, was ein zeitgemäßes Gebäude ausmacht. Werden mancherorts nur noch Passivhäuser errichtet, so liegt der Fokus andernorts beispielsweise auf freien Lernkonzepten und offenen Räumen. Für Planer und Architekten bedeutet das, dass sie weit vorausdenken müssen. „Gebäude werden in der Gegenwart für die Zukunft gebaut, für die nächsten 30 bis 50 Jahre Nutzungszeit“, erklärt Marco Sperling. „Wir müssen in unserer heutigen Planung also bereits die Nutzungsmöglichkeiten für in ein paar Jahrzehnten bedenken. Dabei ist jedoch fast immer das Budget der limitierende Faktor.“
Damit nicht genug. Neben den vom Auftraggeber gesteckten Rahmenbedingungen gibt es diverse gesetzliche Anforderungen, Normen und Verordnungen, die einzuhalten sind. Dabei sind sich die unterschiedlichen Regelwerke längst nicht immer einig. „Es gibt in Deutschland fast nichts, das nicht geregelt ist. Die Rahmenbedingungen der Auftraggeber sind oft verhandelbar, bei gesetzlichen Vorgaben ist das weitaus schwieriger“, weiß Sperling aus Erfahrung. Damit am Ende alle Wünsche, Bedürfnisse, Anforderungen und Vorschriften unter einen Hut gebracht werden können, ist eine intensive Abstimmung mit allen Beteiligten unerlässlich: „Der Abstimmungsbedarf wächst ständig und ist sogar in Zertifizierungsprozessen verankert. Das ist auch durchaus sinnvoll, damit es am Ende ein gutes Gebäude wird. Es gilt in jedem Fall: Je besser die Abstimmung von Beginn an, desto besser das Ergebnis!“ So werden im Idealfall alle fachbeteiligten Planer für Haustechnik, Statik, Tragwerk etc., die Verarbeiter, aber auch Nutzer und Auftraggeber sowie deren Interessensvertreter eingebunden.
The Swiss Association for Location Management SVSM has been presenting the SVSM Awards annually since 2007. These are awards for particularly innovative projects in the areas of location marketing, location development and business promotion. 14 applications were received for this year's awards – from municipalities, cities and organizations from Lake Constance to Upper Valais. A jury evaluated these based on defined criteria and nominated the following six projects for the 2022 awards:
• “Big Air Chur” city event – submitted by the city of Chur's business contact point
• Conversion of the old spinning mill in Lichtensteig – submitted by the Stadtufer cooperative
• "valais4you" project to promote the immigration of skilled workers –
submitted by the regional and economic center of Upper Valais
• Joint project "BIGNIK" to strengthen identification –
submitted by REGIO Appenzell AR-St.Gallen-Bodensee
• “Werkstadt Zürisee” to develop the Rütihof workplace area –
submitted by the city of Wädenswil
• Launch of the integrated location promotion for the Zurich Oberland –
Submitted by the Zurich Oberland Promotion Association
With the nomination, however, the applicants are not yet guaranteed an award: At the end of August, all nominees have the opportunity to present their projects to the jury. The jury consists of the following experts: Katharina Hopp, jury president and board member SVSM; ambassador dr Eric Jakob, Head of the Directorate for Business Promotion SECO; Pascal Jenny, President of Arosa Tourism; Karin Jung, Head of Office for Economy and Labor Canton of St.Gallen; Prof. Dr. Markus Schmidiger, Head of the Real Estate Competence Center
University of Lucerne; Sonja Wollkopf-Walt, CEO Greater Zurich Area.
The awards will be presented on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, as part of the hybrid conference "SVSM Dialogue Economic Promotion" in the Capitol cinema in Olten. Incidentally, the location manager of the year is also honored at this event.
Construction work on Hamburg's district heating tunnel began on August 5, Implenia announced in a statement . The construction and real estate company from Opfikon is realizing the project on behalf of Wärme Hamburg . The 1.16 kilometer long tunnel will cross the Elbe about 2 kilometers west of the Elbe tunnel for the autobahn.
From the winter of 2024/25, this will be used to transport waste heat from industrial processes in the south to the north of the Hanseatic city. This is a requirement so that the coal-fired power plant in Wedel can be replaced by energy from the future Hafen Energy Park of Hamburger Energiewerke GmbH . "We are pleased that we can plan and implement this large and complex infrastructure project for the Hamburger Energiewerke and thus contribute to a sustainable energy supply in Hamburg," said Thomas Fiest, Head of Tunneling Germany at Implenia.
In the first construction phase, Implenia is constructing the start and target shaft with diaphragm walls 1.5 meters thick and 30 meters deep. Then a tunnel boring machine will bore the actual tunnel with a diameter of 4.55 meters. Access and operating equipment for the operation should be accommodated in the shafts.
The Bernese architectural office Studio DIA has the right to renovate and restructure the Swiss embassy in central London. With its Wellington project, the company won the one-stage project competition in the open procedure of the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics in Bern, according to a press release .
Accordingly, one of the most important requirements was "to meet the demands of the different users with their different areas of responsibility". In addition to the embassy, the ambassador's apartment and other apartments are located in the partly listed building complex in the district of Marylebone. Switzerland Tourism and other organizations also use the house. The embassy has been in operation for more than 50 years.
According to the information, Wellington convinced with a clear separation of the various areas of use according to their functions. Above all, the outer facades are to be preserved, which means that the effort for the redesign is kept within limits and the necessary degree of sustainability is given.
All entries to the competition can be seen from August 19 to 30, 2022 in an exhibition at Fellerstrasse 15a in Bern from Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Bümpliz.
Experts from Empa and its spin-off Carbo-Link AG have developed a global innovation that was used for the first time in the construction of a new network arch bridge in the Degerloch district of Stuttgart. The jury has now awarded it the German Engineering Prize 2022 . She justified her decision with the fact that "the network arch bridge with carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic cables with carbon hangers as an innovation is an extremely successful example of the art of engineering worldwide and provides formative answers to current questions in the construction industry".
The well-known German State Prize, endowed with 30,000 euros, honors "outstanding innovative engineering structures" that "combine building culture, climate protection and sustainability". This year it goes to the international engineering office schlaich bergerman partner ( sbp ) with headquarters in Stuttgart. It implemented the "delicate light rail bridge" from the first draft to the finished structure – "with the active support of experts from Empa and the company Carbo-Link AG in Fehraltorf", according to an Empa statement .
The idea of replacing the originally planned steel hangers with prestressed carbon fiber reinforced (CFRP) hangers that had never been used before came from the sbp team. A team from Empa's Structural Engineering department headed by Masoud Motavalli began experiments with this new material for the Stuttgart bridge in 2016. Empa expert Urs Meier, a pioneer in CFRP research, and Peter Richner, today Empa's deputy director, handed her over to her in 2017 final report to Stuttgart. In 2018, the responsible approval authority gave the green light for the pioneering project.
The Gramazio Kohler research group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ) and the Obuchi Lab – T_ADS at the University of Tokyo are exhibiting an installation as part of the Collaborative Constructions architectural project. The project in the municipal pottery of the Japanese city of Tokoname goes back to an initiative of the two universities and the Swiss embassy in Japan.
It is the first project of Vitality.Swiss, the Swiss public diplomacy program on the way to Expo 2025 in Osaka . The exhibition will be held in several cities of Aichi Prefecture as part of the Aichi Triennial Art Festival. According to an embassy announcement, it was officially opened on the occasion of the national holiday on August 1st and can be visited until October 10th.
Gramazio Kohler Research, led by Matthias Kohler and Fabio Gramazio, presents a three-story timber frame structure that revitalizes the long history of skilled timber construction in Japan through Swiss design and technology. It reinterprets carpentry in the age of robotics, without metal parts, nails, screws or fasteners. Her work has been exhibited at the Center Pompidou, the Venice Biennale and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, among others.
The Obuchi Lab – T_ADS around Yusuke Obuchi exhibits a gate-like structure with numerous pottery chains through which pottery is actually steamed, which also cools the air. They were created through human-machine interactions. Obuchi projects explore innovative, inclusive and collaborative construction methods. They are known worldwide for their creative use of technology.
Implenia 's Buildings Division has been awarded two contracts in western Switzerland with a total volume of CHF 200 million, the Opfikon-based construction and real estate company said in a statement . Specifically, Implenia is to renovate the historic headquarters of an international organization in Geneva and build two new buildings for production and research in Chesaux-sur-Lausanne on behalf of Pulse , a company belonging to EPIC Suisse AG .
In Geneva, Implenia will adapt the facades and security installations of the historic building to current standards, redesign the interior and modernize the equipment in the around 1,200 workplaces there. In Chesaux-sur-Lausanne, two four-storey buildings are being built, which are connected by two shared basements. Both projects are being implemented according to the principles of lean construction, explains Implenia. This approach to the planning and execution of construction projects focuses on avoiding waste and exceeding the needs of the client.
In construction, it's difficult to leverage data across applications to effectively diagnose problems, predict risk, and plan future actions. To address this challenge, Oracle today announced Oracle Construction Intelligence Cloud Analytics. The new solution combines data from Oracle Smart Construction Platform applications to give builders and contractors a comprehensive understanding of performance throughout their operations. With these insights, organizations can quickly identify and resolve issues and find ways to continually improve project planning, construction, and facility operations.
"You can't manage what you can't measure," said Roz Buick, senior vice president of product, strategy and marketing at Oracle Construction and Engineering. “The new Oracle Construction Intelligence Cloud Analytics offering combined with the Smart Construction Platform's predictive intelligence engine and shared data environment gives our customers a deeper, holistic understanding of their performance. Now they can create unique data strategies that drive competitive differentiation. In this way, the construction industry will achieve Six Sigma accuracy, which is already found in other parts of the industry and in manufacturing today.”
The Smart Construction Platform brings together capabilities from Oracle Construction and Engineering applications and third-party solutions in a common data environment with an enhanced user experience. The platform makes it easier for builders and contractors to collaborate to improve decision-making across organizations. Oracle is introducing the new analytics solution and other platform updates today at the Oracle Industry Lab in Deerfield, Illinois.
“We are increasingly focused on finding new and better ways to use our data so we can gain further insights into project performance and risk,” said Brian Neal, project manager at Rudolph Libbe Inc. “The connection and the combining of data for analysis will provide the most comprehensive insight into our operations and help us understand trends in our business. It also allows us to find ways to streamline the delivery of projects to our customers.”
Smart Construction Platform: people, processes and data in harmony The Smart Construction Platform brings together the core applications, processes and data building owners and contractors need to collaborate across project and asset lifecycles. This includes portfolio planning, bidding/tendering processes, contracts, schedules, project documents, as well as Building Information Model (BIM) collaboration, on-site activities, costs and payments. With the new unified experience, shared data environment, and cross-application interoperability, users can easily switch between applications and datasets while working on a single project. By synchronizing activities, resources, and data throughout each project and asset, the platform helps teams from different disciplines work towards the same goal with the same information.
For example, the planning and project management capabilities sync design and site teams against a master plan, providing insight into both a unified schedule and the task data needed to get the right work done in the right place at the right time. So, should the date of an HVAC installation change due to an issue in the supply chain, the project manager will automatically receive the updated schedule information and can coordinate any necessary adjustments for the affected teams.
In addition, the platform provides investment planners with accurate, timely data on project forecasts so they can coordinate with managers on budget requirements and adjust them as strategic priorities change. For example, inflation doubles the cost of the materials needed for a project. The project manager can pass these new actual amounts and forecasts to the planner, who can then make timely changes to the portfolio.
The platform continuously learns and gets smarter using machine learning, so it considers past actions to highlight potential risks and support more informed decision-making. Oracle offers its customers a variety of networked functions. This includes:
• Provide project managers with up-to-date schedule data so teams can align with planned delivery dates and other schedule requirements.
• Joint planning (CPM schedule) with site teams (task plan) to minimize wasted time and resources.
• Capital planning and project execution teams can share budget and actual cost data so both teams can confidently adapt to different situations as the project progresses.
• Automatically store completed bid/request packages, as well as approved invoices and other payment materials, in company document registries.
• Transparency for all stakeholders to jointly track progress, identify and mitigate risks, and efficiently manage changes throughout the supply chain.
"Thanks to Oracle, we are improving coordination, transparency and control during project development," said Weronika Nowak, document control and IT manager at Mayflower Wind. “The ability to further connect our teams, processes and data across applications and all project phases increases efficiency. It also provides our staff with the information they need to easily manage change as we work to deploy critical energy assets.”
For her master’s thesis in civil engineering, Selina Heiniger developed a method for the more sustainable production of building material. According to a press release from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne ( EPFL ), she uses plastic waste, concrete that has already been used and terracotta bricks that have been made small.
In her master’s thesis, Heiniger wanted to tackle two related challenges: reducing environmental pollution from plastic waste and developing construction methods that use fewer raw materials.
She developed bricks made from recycled plastic – polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) – as well as crushed terracotta bricks and recycled concrete. Their bricks are designed to interlock, so no mortar is required. Initial tests are encouraging, but the invention is still in the prototype stage. If successful, Heiniger’s work could make a significant contribution to reducing the construction industry’s carbon footprint.
Heiniger graduated from high school in the canton of Bern and then enrolled at the EPFL to study civil engineering. At first she only studied part-time, as she also worked in a civil engineering company in Lausanne.
Selina Heiniger’s master’s thesis was jointly developed by Corentin Fivet, head of EPFL’s Laboratory for Structural Exploration in the Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Yves Leterrier, a senior scientist at EPFL’s Laboratory for Advanced Composites Processing in the Faculty of engineering, supervised.
SSREI wird von GRESB B.V. als Portfoliobewertungstool und Bestandsgebäudezertifikat anerkannt – ein Meilenstein in der Schweizer Immobilienbranche. Das Real Estate Assessment von GRESB und SSREI sind zwei komplementäre Nachhaltigkeits-Benchmarks für Immobilienportfolios.
Während GRESB einen ESG-Ansatz verfolgt, d.h. sein Benchmark als Managementinstrument konzipiert ist und auch Aspekte der guten Unternehmensführung thematisiert (Arbeitsbedingungen, Lieferantenmanagement, Geschäftsgebaren, etc.), fokussiert SSREI rein auf die Immobilienqualität, dies aber ausführlicher und umfassender. So schliesst SSREI nebst dem Umweltschutz und der gesellschaftlich-sozialen Verantwortung auch die Wirtschaftlichkeit mit ein (EES-Ansatz).
Wo die beiden Instrumente inhaltlich kompatibel sind, anerkennt GRESB den SSREI. So akzeptiert GRESB die SSREI-Verifikation als Bestands-Zertifizierung (BC1.2), sofern bestimmte Voraussetzungen erfüllt sind. Zudem gilt die Anerkennung auch für die Portfolio-Analyse und weitere spezifischen Anforderungen, welche sich thematisch überschneiden.
Die entsprechende technische Umsetzung der Anerkennung erfolgt bereits mit dem GRESB-Abschluss 2022. Wir freuen uns über diesen wegweisenden Entscheid, von dem wir überzeugt sind, dass er die Transparenz und Vergleichbarkeit am Schweizer Markt weiter fördern wird.
“The awards recognize the entire project development process, from planning and construction to economic viability, design, management and impact on society.
This year’s finalists include a variety of projects from different sectors and with different types of use, with a focus on the combination of different uses, sustainability, reuse and conversion as well as the design of sites and the formation of neighbourhoods.
The five finalists in alphabetical order:
Hammerbrookyln Digital Pavilion, Hamburg, Germany (Developer: Art-Invest Real Estate Management GmbH & Co. KG. Owner: Hammerbrooklyn Immobilien GmbH. Architect: LP Spine Architects); sustainable digital center and smart office building
Latitude, Courbevoie, Paris, France (Builder and owner: Générale Continentale Investissements. Architect: Studios Architecture); remodeled and extended office building from the 1970s
MÉCA (Maison de l’Économie Creatives et de la Culture en Aquitaine) Bordeaux, France (Client and owner: Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Architects: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group; FREAKS freearchitects; Lafourcade-Rouquette Architectes); Center for contemporary art, which brings together three institutions
Norblin Factory, Warsaw, Poland (Developer and Owner: Capital Park Group; Architect: PRC Architekci); multifunctional complex for state-of-the-art offices as well as cultural, leisure and retail offers
Quai des Caps, Bordeaux, France (Developer: Fayat Immobilier & Pitch Promotion. Client: Keys REIM, Caisse des dépô Architects: Chartier Dalix, Hardel et Le Bihan, Moon Safari et Marjan Hessamfar & Joe Verons, and Jacques Ferrier); Mixed use complex in the renewed heart of the port city
The jury, made up of real estate professionals from the fields of architecture, commercial real estate, development, investment, property management and public-private partnerships, will now determine the winner for the EMEA region.
Projects will be evaluated on the extent to which they:
experience acceptance on the market and thus stand for financial success;
achieve a high standard in the areas of architecture, design, planning, construction, equipment, economy and management;
be relevant to the current and future needs of the society in which they are located;
Provide innovation through techniques, processes or partnerships;
have a positive impact on the community and/or immediate environment, eg by promoting equity and inclusion;
are characterized by ecological sustainability, a sense of responsibility and resilience; and
Provide models, strategies or techniques that can be replicated or adapted.
The jury not only selects the overall winners, but also considers “special mentions” for projects that fall within a specific area, such as affordable housing, social value, climate change/resilience/sustainability, life sciences, repurposing, creative site design/arts & culture/engagement for society, health and well-being and smart technology are outstanding.
The Swiss National Science Foundation ( SNSF ) is funding a five-year project by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research ( Empa ) to research CO2 binding in cement. As part of the SNSF Advanced Grant, the scientists working with project manager Barbara Lothenbach will receive 2.2 million francs for their research project, according to a press release .
With the help of the funding, the Empa experts will carry out basic research in the field of CO2 binding in cement together with partners from the Finnish University of Oulu.
The background to the project called Low Carbon Magnesium-Based Binders is that the cement industry releases large amounts of carbon dioxide. At the same time, concrete is considered a beacon of hope for binding CO2 and thus as a potential reducer of climate-damaging greenhouse gases if it is based on magnesium and not on lime as is usually the case.
Starting in 2023, the researchers will find out how stable magnesium concrete is in the long term, how it can best be produced on construction sites and how temperature, pH value and other factors affect the molecular level.
The “3Land”, the area around the border triangle, which for decades was characterized by industrial and port facilities, is in transition and will change in the coming years. There is space for something new. Large, closed and mono-functional areas are to be opened up and reused. New lines for public transport, accessible and continuous banks of the Rhine and networked green and open spaces create a cross-border district.
The cooperation between the neighboring cities of Basel, Weil am Rhein and Huningue, which has lasted for more than ten years, is already showing visible results: A continuous Rhine bank path was created between Huningue and Basel, which is equally popular as a commuter route and as a promenade in leisure time. With the expansion of the Rheinpark in Weil am Rhein and the redesigned shore areas in Huningue, new open spaces were created directly on the water on both sides of the three-country bridge. They offer a wide range of games, sports and recreation and will be expanded in future construction stages. This is how the 3Land idea creates a tangible benefit for the population.
On behalf of the eight partners involved, the Basel government councilor Esther Keller, the mayor of Huningue and president of Saint-Louis Agglomération, Jean-Marc Deichtmann, and the mayor of Weil am Rhein, Wolfgang Dietz, signed a trinational planning agreement today at the border triangle the next steps and a joint budget until the end of 2025. The main topics are mobility, open space and nature conservation, spatial planning and urban development.
A new Rhine bridge is central to growing together and mobility in 3Land. Designed for tram, foot and bicycle traffic, it connects the banks of the Rhine between Huningue and Basel at the height of the Wiese estuary. A recent cost-benefit analysis confirms that the Rhine bridge will bring major economic benefits to all three countries involved. It enables a trinational quarter by connecting countries, bringing people together and creating a high quality of life through sustainable transport connections. The project partners have therefore decided to continue the ambitious project and to create the planning, legal and financial basis for the project in the next steps. The course for this is set in the joint planning agreement.
The new 3Land tour offers an interesting insight for cyclists and pedestrians. The 13-kilometer route leads through the project area and makes the stories and special features of the quarters come alive at ten stations. Informative texts, images and videos are available at the individual stations and on the 3Land project website. The GPS data can be loaded onto a smartphone using the well-known “Outdooractive” app.
For the continuation of planning for trinational urban development in 3Land, the government council is requesting that the Great Council spend a total of CHF 1,106,000. The 3Land planning agreement signed today by the head of the construction and transport department is subject to the approval of the expenditure by the Grand Council.
The “Coordination Cell 3Land” is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the Interreg V Upper Rhine program of the European Union, the canton of Basel-Stadt and the Swiss Confederation, as well as the city of Weil am Rhein, the district of Lörrach, the city of Huningue , Saint-Louis Agglomération and the Collectivité européenne d’Alsace. The city of Saint-Louis is an associated partner. The project sponsor is the Trinational Eurodistrict Basel.
According to the press release , the insulation specialist Swisspor AG and Madaster Services Schweiz AG will be working together in the future. The aim is to promote the use of circular insulating materials in construction. With its product and recycling expertise in the field of insulation and sealing, Swisspor, based in Steinhausen, will open up the transition to resource-saving construction, according to the statement.
Madaster is working on so-called material passports for new and existing buildings. This gives construction waste an identity and can be cataloged and reused as resources to avoid waste. The Madaster service is offered in Switzerland by Madaster Services Switzerland AG in Zurich.
With Swisspor, the Madaster network will be supplemented with many years of expertise in the development, manufacture and recycling of building products in the field of insulation and sealing, Marloes Fischer, Managing Director of Madaster Services Schweiz AG, is quoted as saying. “Together we can make the medium to long-term increasing volume of insulating materials from demolition and renovation transparent. The goal must be to use as much recyclate as possible for new products.”
“Swisspor is doing everything it can to increase the recycling rate of insulating and sealing materials,” says Marco Dalla Bona, Managing Director of Swisspor AG. With the Madaster material register, “built-in materials can be traced and later assigned to a new group of uses. If the sector manages to recycle 100 percent recyclable products, we will reduce the use of primary resources to a minimum,” Dalla Bona continues.
75% of the areas with sustainability certificates As part of the comprehensive initiatives for sustainable business management, Swiss Prime Site will certify the majority of the Swiss real estate portfolio, which comprises around 180 properties and areas, before the end of the 2022 financial year. Based on an in-depth analysis of the various certification systems and a feasibility study, over a dozen pilot certifications have already been implemented in recent months. The goal is to have around 75% of the space in the real estate portfolio backed by certificates by the end of 2022. René Zahnd, CEO of Swiss Prime Site: “By certifying our properties, we are increasing transparency and at the same time establishing a frame of reference. In addition, we lay the foundation for creating long-term ecological, economic and social added value for all stakeholders. In addition, since last year we have linked our ambitious climate targets with our financing strategy. Every improvement in sustainability enables us to find more attractive financing.»
Climate-neutral real estate portfolio by 2040 The applicable environmental policy of Swiss Prime Site stipulates that all new construction, conversion and repositioning projects must be certified with a nationally or internationally recognized sustainability label. BREEAM In-Use, an internationally widespread certification system, is used for existing properties. In the case of development projects, the focus is on certification in line with the Swiss Sustainable Building Standard (SNBS). “In addition to the certification, we create a potential analysis for each certified property, which results in measures to increase sustainability performance. Our ambitions for individual topics such as avoiding greenhouse gas emissions – in production and operation – or recycling management go beyond the fulfillment of the requirements,” explains Martin Pfenninger, Head Group Sustainability, the ambitions of Swiss Prime Site. Because the goals are clear: the design of sustainable living space and a climate-neutral real estate portfolio by 2040.
Building materials producer Holcim has announced the takeover of Belgian building materials dealer Cantillana . With Cantillana’s presence and portfolio, Holcim can advance the expansion of the solutions and products division, which is expected to account for 30 percent of Group net sales by 2025, according to a press release .
For Holcim, the decision in favor of the provider of special solutions means a further optimization of its market position in facade construction systems and thermal insulation composite systems. “This expansion further strengthens our presence in Europe, particularly in the area of building renovation and energy efficiency,” said Miljan Gutovic, head of Holcim’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
The investment ties in with the adopted strategy of “green growth”. Both companies announce that they aim to “take a bigger role in providing innovative and sustainable solutions for energy-efficient buildings”.
After acquiring the French PRB Group , the Belgian PTB-Compaktuna and Izolbet in Poland, Holcim is adding Cantillana, a privately held company, to the “Holcim family”. Originating as a branch of a construction company, Cantillana has specialized since it was founded in 1875 in the sale of and trade in building materials and building material accessories for the construction and related trades. Today, Cantillana is part of the Stadsbader Group and employs more than 200 people at nine production sites in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Holcim AG has focused on innovative and sustainable construction solutions in building construction, civil engineering and infrastructure. At 55 locations across Switzerland, the company produces concrete, gravel and cement suitable for all construction projects and recycles demolition materials into resource-saving products.
The Swiss Environmental Arena is opening a new special exhibition. According to a message on Facebook, it is about the recycling of old insulating materials in the construction industry. Instead of old insulating materials ending up in the dumpster and then in the landfill during renovations and demolitions, they are taken back and processed again, according to Facebook on the subject. The Flumroc company based in Flums is showing how this is done in the new exhibition in the so-called Recycling City in the Umwelt Arena. Flumroc is a “pioneer in the field of insulation recycling”, according to the press release.
On its website , Flumroc advocates the sustainable use of insulating materials. “Rockwool becomes rockwool”. it says there. Flumroc stone wool is 100 percent recyclable. This “closed cycle” should be maintained as far as possible. The company therefore appeals not to simply throw away construction site cuttings and construction site waste made from Flumroc stone wool during demolition, renovation or conversion work. “We’re happy to take them back in the bags or containers provided and recycle them,” says the company.
The new exhibition provides information about the procedure for reprocessing.
In spring 2021, the new imposing town house in Bülach could be occupied. Orientation was made easier for the population and customers with the outside and inside signage. The approximately 150 employees from all areas of administration now work in a central location and the internal administration processes have been optimized.
Function of good signage Whether it’s a new building or an existing building, whether for employees, visitors or suppliers, the signage always serves as a guide so that everyone can easily find their destination. Well thought-out signage also underlines the identity of the company and conveys the image. In order for this goal to be achieved, a needs analysis must be formulated with those responsible and those affected. A joint inspection of the object in question is helpful.
Different functions are aimed at with a uniform, clear lettering inside and outside. On the one hand, they provide an orientation that welcomes visitors, provides them with important information and guides them directly to their destination.
The art of signage lies in reduction, clarity and timelessness. The pictograms must also be understood in a few years and it is important for people with disabilities that they are visible and understandable.
Signage will become more and more digital in the future. The importance of finding something quickly, of getting your bearings, will increase. Ms. Brigitte Grüter from Frontwork says: «The signage as we perceive it today will always exist in this form. However, depending on the location, the signage is increasingly being implemented digitally and must be able to be updated quickly and easily by the on-site staff.»
In the first half of 2022, Swiss Prime Site Immobilien doubled its lettings compared to the same period of the previous year. According to a press release from the Zurich-based company, 90,000 square meters have been newly let or re-let across the entire portfolio and across all regions. In the first half of 2021 it was 47,000 square meters.
Swiss Prime Site Immobilien AG, which belongs to the Swiss Prime Site Group based in Zug, attributes this success to the good market conditions and the associated demand for commercial space. Despite the global economic slowdown, the signals for development in Switzerland remain mostly positive, according to the statement. In the service sector, for example, 105,000 new jobs were created in the past twelve months, an increase of 2.6 percent. The 114,000 vacancies also testified to a robust Swiss labor market.
The real estate company noticed a particularly positive development in Basel, Zurich and Geneva. According to Swiss Prime Site, the two development projects currently under construction, JED in Schlieren and Stücki Park in Basel, are also enjoying brisk demand. Pre-letting rates of around 90 percent are expected there by the end of the year.
“With the strong performance of re-lettings and new leases within our portfolio and the still intact economic prospects, we are also optimistic about the low vacancy rate and positive rental income development at the end of the year,” says Martin Kaleja, CEO of Swiss Prime Site Immobilien.
Swiss Prime Site announces that it will publish the detailed half-year results for 2022 on Thursday, August 25.
Apartments are scarce in the larger Swiss cities. This applies in particular to inexpensive apartments. In order to enable more non-profit housing construction, especially in central urban locations, the Federal Housing Office (BWO), Swiss housing cooperatives and the SBB have jointly drawn up framework conditions for a model building rights contract. The BWO also represented the Swiss Housing Association. This protects the interests of both umbrella organizations for non-profit housing construction. The model building rights contract will come into effect in future when SBB hands over land with building rights to non-profit housing developers.
“We welcome the fact that SBB is making areas available for non-profit housing construction with building rights. This contract ensures that the framework conditions are compatible with the funding criteria for non-profit housing construction,” says Martin Tschirren, director of the BWO.
“SBB aims to offer around half of its apartments at low prices – either through their own apartments or by paying the building permit.” According to Alexander Muhm, Head of SBB Real Estate, the new contract is an important step in this direction.
“We are pleased that we have reached an agreement, even if the building lease interest for non-profit housing will be at the upper price limit,” emphasizes Eva Herzog, President of the Swiss housing cooperative. “Now we will take the SBB at its word to give more areas of building rights to cooperatives.”
Compromise lays a uniform basis for future projects The common regulation has the advantage for all partners that future building rights contracts with non-profit housing developers no longer have to be negotiated from scratch for each project, but can be implemented more easily and quickly on the basis of the framework conditions that have now been agreed. The SBB advertises every sale of SBB land in the building law in a competition. In close cooperation with cities and municipalities, it ensures that the best use is found for the respective location.
In particular, the new agreement regulates the assessment and development of the building lease interest and ensures that the non-profit apartments within the meaning of the Housing Promotion Act (WFG) are also inexpensive in the long term. This is because the building lease interest is based on the so-called cost rent and corresponds to the cost limits of the BWO.
The new model contract also takes account of the fact that the SBB, as the owner of the land, participates moderately in the increase in value of the areas, as required by the strategic goals of the federal government. As a state-owned company, SBB is bound by clearly formulated tasks and goals. The owner expects SBB to develop railway areas in a targeted manner and thus make a long-term contribution to a financially healthy railway system.
The promotion of non-profit housing is a constitutional mandate of Swiss housing policy. The non-profit property developers – housing cooperatives, foundations or associations – orientate themselves towards the cost of rent and operate without the intention of making a profit. Your apartments are inexpensive in the long term. Many non-profit property developers offer their tenants various social services in addition to living space, thereby relieving the public sector. In addition, this type of housing promotes social mixing and generational diversity. SBB can look back on around 100 years of tradition in working with non-profit housing developers. This is based on the support of the railway workers’ building cooperatives, which were among the pioneers of cooperative housing construction.
After the official SVIT delegates’ meeting on Thursday morning, the strategy and innovation consultant Maks Giordano gave a lecture in the conference room of the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne. He showed what happens and how one can react “when the future comes in exponential steps”. Giordano is convinced that after mobile communications and the World Wide Web, our industries are now being fundamentally changed again by the third wave of digital disruption and its exponential developments in technology. “In these times of hyper-innovation and hyper-growth, it is imperative that we all learn the necessary skills to manage this change,” he said.
Comedy and political gossip Afterwards, comedian Kaya Yanar offered a “best of” of his previous work in the television and comedy scene, before the first panel discussion took place in the afternoon. SVIT Forum moderator Urs Gredig welcomed the politicians Hans Egloff (SVP, President HEV Switzerland) and Michael Töngi (Greens, Vice President of the Swiss Tenants’ Association) as well as Martin Tschirren , Director of the BWO Federal Office for Housing, on stage. Together they analyzed the current political and social mood with regard to a possible total revision of Swiss tenancy law, which dates back to 1990. In general, given the majority in the National Council, they only consider minor changes to be possible, even if Egloff and Töngi demanded fundamental modifications and partial revisions. Federal Office Director Tschirren pointed out that the housing shortage is threatening to worsen in the period ahead. This is primarily to be seen in the large cities and centers.
The Federal Council sees a need for action on rents At the end of the first day of the SVIT Forum 2022, Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin , Head of the Federal Department of Economics, Education and Research and President of the Swiss Confederation in 2021, addressed a message of welcome to the SVIT delegates and guests. He emphasized the new meaning for living as a result of the corona pandemic. In view of home office and video conferencing from home, office workers in particular have now given more thought to their living situation. Today it is important to react to sharply rising housing and energy prices. In addition, the home ownership rate in Switzerland is again in reverse gear: While it was still 38.4 percent in 2015, it was only 36.4 percent in 2019, Parmelin quoted from the figures from the BFS and the Federal Office for Housing. He sees a “certain need for action” when it comes to structuring rents. Specifically, he was in a possible review of the site and neighborhood customary. There will soon be a group of experts to deal with this topic. Regarding the latest developments on the interest side, Parmelin said: “The Swiss National Bank is getting back to normal.”
Boat ride and roller coaster The first day of the event was rounded off with a boat trip on Lake Lucerne on the MS Diamant. The second day of the SVIT Forum 2022 on Friday began with an impressive keynote speech by the former AMD boss and current start-up investor Carsten Maschmeyer , who described the ups and downs of his business career and shared his “success formula through opportunities and crises for a fulfilled life» revealed.
Data rights of digitized service providers The second panel discussion, moderated by “Immobilia” editor Ivo Cathomen , dealt with the future of real estate service providers. He had invited Oliver Hofmann , CEO of Wincasa AG, Béatrice Schaeppi , head of the family company of the same name, and Severin Krebs , managing director of Pfannenstiel Immobilien AG, to the podium. The three company leaders described how digitization influences and determines the work of the manager in many ways today. They identified data sovereignty and data protection as well as the satisfaction of different customer needs and the recruitment of specialist staff as the most important construction sites for services in the real estate industry.
The SVIT Swiss Real Estate Forum 2022 ended on Friday afternoon in the Verkehrshaus Luzern with a farewell by SVIT President Andreas Ingold and finally with a Thai stand-up lunch in the foyer, while the first major thunderstorm of the day fell outside.
Good things take time – there is no better way to describe the development of the Oberhauserriet in Opfikon. As early as 1952, the city separated the 67.4 hectare Oberhauserriet as an industrial zone. A district plan procedure was initiated five years later, but this was only approved in 1979. The first district plan provided for 30,000 jobs. But the project dragged on due to numerous appeals and requests for revision. In 1986, the city council of Opfikon stopped the enforcement request. Because: The planned jobs would also have meant 30,000 parking spaces. Traffic problems and environmental pollution threatened.
Interest in the planned industrial area increased sharply with the construction of the north ring road in the 1980s. In 1987, Planpartner AG was commissioned to review the planning. The planning office proposed a renewed revision of the building and zoning regulations with a significantly reduced use. New only 9700 jobs were planned. In addition, living space for 3000 people was considered for the first time, as well as a park that should cover around a third of the country in the direction of Glatt. Access to public transport rounded off the project in terms of environmental compatibility.
These adjustments found favor with the electorate in 1990. The city council of Opfikon, the city of Zurich and the interest group of landowners that had been created in the meantime also approved of the new overall plan. The then 25 landowners were closely involved in the planning by the city council. It is probably thanks to this circumstance that they were willing to make a significant financial contribution: in terms of green space or the planned “monorail” – a kind of elevated railway that should have opened up the new district.
It was spring 1996 before the first draft for the new district plan was available. Due to numerous requests, this was revised twice before the city council was finally able to set the district plan in 1999. The Government Council of the Canton of Zurich passed it on October 11, 2000, paving the way for implementation – after almost 50 years of planning.
First area marketing organization in Swiss real estate history They had agreed on living space for 6,600 people and 7,300 jobs. A 12.4-hectare green area with an artificial lake was planned for the park. A project competition was announced in 2001 for the design of the park, which the Kiefer landscape architecture office in Berlin won. Central was the elongated rectangular lake, which later received the name “Glattpark-See”.
In 2000, the city of Opfikon, the city of Zurich and the company Allreal tendered a contract for the development of a comprehensive platform for the development area. Halter Immobilien + Treuhand with the then managing director Bernhard “Beny” Ruhstaller was awarded the contract. Ruhstaller’s communication strategy envisaged making a brand out of the Oberhauserriet in order to simplify the search for investors and key tenants as well as communication with the population and image cultivation. Ruhstaller proposed area marketing empowered by all landowners.
The mission was clear: from the mass of planned individual projects, a vision of a completely new district should find its way into people’s minds. Ruhstaller already brought experience from the Limmatwest, Zurich-West and Zurich-North development areas. «It was precisely these experiences and insights that helped me with the Oberhauserriet development area. The Glattpark was of course one size bigger. On the other hand, it was almost easier to create a new identity here, since there was no inhabited area,” Ruhstaller sums up. He also remembers the founding of the new area marketing well: “The first difficulty was convincing the then many private landowners to pay money into a marketing pot, although a possible start of construction could not even be estimated.”
The real estate professional was successful together with the city of Opfikon: In December 2001, 63.64 percent of all property owners recognized the added value of joint marketing. On May 13, 2002, for the first time in Swiss real estate history, 14 of the 21 landowners founded an area marketing organization. This merger quickly bore fruit: Thanks to marketing and communication measures such as a showroom, website, trade fair appearances and intensive networking, the organization quickly became the central information and contact point for the new district, which the city of Opfikon had given the name “Glattpark” in 2001. With the increasing success of the marketing efforts, more landowners could be brought on board: in 2017, the area marketing organization had a maximum of 35 members.
↑ The aerial photo – taken from a helicopter at the time – shows the Oberhauserriet in 2001. The city of Opfikon commissioned the company Comet Photoshopping GmbH, which specializes in aerial photos, to document the construction progress. And this is how the Glattpark looks from the air 20 years later. ↓
Thanks to the Glattpark, Opfikon is now one of the 50 largest cities in Switzerland Again and again, there were discrepancies between area marketing and the city of Opfikon: “The planning authorities involved in the Oberhauserriet district plan were not used to the fact that market and marketing issues suddenly played a role,” explains Ruhstaller and adds: “The private organization of the In the beginning, landowners might also have been perceived as a danger.” Today, cooperation between the city authorities and area marketing has normalized and can be described as mutually beneficial.
The transition from the development to the operational phase in 2016 brought with it changed tasks for area marketing. A simplification of the landowner’s contributions and the renaming to IGG Glattpark were decided. Today, the organization takes care of overarching issues. “It’s about processes that go beyond the parcel boundary of an individual property owner – such as the boulevard, parking or media work,” says Ruhstaller, who has been working as managing director of the area marketing organization for around 20 years and meanwhile from his Daughter Janina is supported. The IGG Glattpark is intended to protect and further develop the identity of the still young district. “In cooperation with the city of Opfikon, we are currently conducting a needs survey among the more than 70 businesses in the Glattpark,” Ruhstaller gives an example.
The former vision of Glattpark has become reality: the first residents moved in as early as 2006. The Monorail, which was originally planned, became the Glattalbahn, the last stage of which was inaugurated in 2010. In 2019, the majority of the second construction phase was completed. By the end of 2019, 3100 jobs were created and 5781 residents were counted. And that’s not the end of the development of the young part of the city: the hard-fought school building should be ready for occupancy in 2023/24. The often neglected 3rd stage of the Glattpark could also be in motion in the near future: “The city of Zurich, as the largest property owner, is facing an early solution together with the city of Opfikon and other private property owners,” says Ruhstaller.
The development of the Oberhauserriet – which was often referred to in the media as “the most expensive meadow in Europe” – into the Glattpark district has definitely been a success: in the past 16 years, Opfikon has grown from 13,000 to 21,000 inhabitants thanks to the Glattpark. This means that Opfikon is now one of the 50 largest cities in Switzerland.
The magazine “ Bilanz ” has published this year’s ranking of the quality of life in Swiss cities. Zurich took first place again and, according to the report , has been the undisputed leader for eleven years. The cities of Zug and Bern took second and third place, followed by Winterthur, Basel and Geneva.
The city ranking was created by the real estate experts from Wüest Partner for the business magazine “Bilanz” based on several indicators for the quality of life in cities, for example in the areas of the job market, education, leisure and shopping. A total of 162 cities were rated in this way.
According to the article by “Bilanz”, it hardly seems possible for other cities to break into the absolute top group. In the top 10, only the canton’s capital, Aarau, lost two places and fell from 6th to 8th place. When asked whether other cities even had a chance of making it into the top group, Patrick Schnorf from Wüest Partner was quoted as saying: “It’s impossible It doesn’t.” For example, St.Gallen, which currently ranks 11th, has a chance if the city could increase its educational and cultural offerings as well as its population growth.
According to Schnorf, Bassersdorf ZH is a counter-example, which has slipped back eleven places. “Compared to other cities, Bassersdorf has not developed as quickly, for example in terms of education and culture,” Schnorf is quoted as saying. According to the ranking, the two economic regions of Zurich and Lake Geneva are the most liveable.
Since there are only four cities in the top 30 from western Switzerland and Lugano, one in Ticino, it must be said that the overall quality of life in German-speaking Switzerland is higher.
The Swiss environmental arena has presented its latest future energy policy project, “ Building 2050 ”. According to the press release , the pioneering project in Urdorf shows how, thanks to the use of the latest building technology, residential developments can already become a CO2-neutral power plant in which tenants can live within their own energy budgets without electricity and heating costs.
The Umwelt Arena is presenting all of these innovations in the new exhibition “Bauen 2050” in Spreitbach from mid-July 2022 with a construction documentary and interactive elements relating to modern construction.
The pilot project in Urdorf is referred to as a “power house”. The building by René Schmid Architekten AG Zurich shows that surplus solar energy from the summer can be used to produce renewable, non-fossil gas for the winter using photovoltaic systems on the roof and facade. There is also a wind-solar small power station. The facade and roof insulation protects the house against cold and heat. In midsummer, excess heat can be withdrawn from the apartments and used to heat the water. The rest is stored in the ground via the geothermal probes.
The excess electricity from the summer is used to produce hydrogen in a power-to-gas plant. It is temporarily stored in the existing gas network for the winter.
The house in Urdorf shows the residents their daily current consumption level in order to control their personal energy budget. There are sun blinds that can be controlled depending on the weather, energy-efficient, networked household appliances of the highest efficiency class and showers with heat recovery as well as CO2-controlled comfort ventilation. Even when using the lift, the braking energy produces electricity.
According to a media release , Eberhard Bau AG has opened the first interactive educational trail for the circular economy in the Park of Circularity in Oberglatt. The park was developed in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ), which is researching forward-looking building methods as part of the project. The recycling course is intended to convey responsible use of limited resources “physically with real materials you can touch”.
The information, which can be called up easily with a smartphone, is aimed at the general public, schools, families with children, young people and, in more detail, at specialist audiences. A sensation is a robot that park guests can use to sort construction waste. An autonomously working robot has already been used to build a 65 meter long and 6 meter high dry stone wall and the park terraces.
A tour on site is barrier-free 365 days a year and makes it possible to experience “what circular economy means in general, what challenges and solutions exist and that the construction industry plays a central role towards a functioning circular economy”. According to Eberhard Bau, it has been implementing the principle of the circular economy for more than 30 years. Circular economic and construction methods help to minimize the ecological footprint, which was symbolically addressed at the opening of the park by fifth-graders from Oberglatt by immortalizing their footprints in concrete.
The park of circularity developed by the ETH Zurich, in which the latest research on promising construction methods, autonomous construction, robotics and architecture are combined, had its premiere together with the circular educational trail.
Ende 2021 zählten die 14 Städte und Gemeinden 189’000 Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner, das sind 8454 oder 4,7 Prozent mehr als Ende 2018. Dabei handelt es sich um das Kerngebiet der Flughafenregion. Die entsprechenden 14 Städte und Gemeinden sind Teil der FRZ Flughafenregion Zürich, Wirtschaftsnetzwerk & Standortentwicklung. Auch die Zahl der Beschäftigten hat sich erhöht: Sie wuchs seit 2018 um 5258 oder 3,6 Prozent, verglichen mit der letzten Erhebung Ende 2020. In der gleichen Zeitspanne stieg die Zahl der Wohneinheiten um 3,2 Prozent auf 88’541. Das bedeutet, dass die Flughafenregion auch als Wohnstandort attraktiv ist. In den vergangenen zehn Jahren ist die Zahl der Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner stärker gestiegen als die Zahl der Arbeitsplätze.
Derzeit werden in der näheren Flughafenregion Zürich viele Bauprojekte von überregionaler Bedeutung realisiert, andere sind in Planung. In Dübendorf wurde Mitte 2019 das höchste Hochhaus für Mietwohnungen in der Schweiz bezogen (JaBee Tower). In den Jahren 2020 und 2021 entstand beim Flughafen Zürich eine moderne Destination mit über 6000 Arbeitsplätzen (The Circle). Zu den Mietern gehören unter anderem: Abraxas, Dufry, Edelweiss, Flughafen Zürich, Horváth, Hyatt, Inventx, Isolutions, Jelmoli, Kieser Training, Microsoft, MSD, Neuroth, Novo Nordisk, NTT Data, Omega, Raiffeisen Schweiz, Oracle, Raiffeisen, Sablier, SAP, Singapore Airlines, Totemo, Universitätsspital Zürich und Vebego.
Der Bau von Rechenzentren beschleunigt sich. Zwischen 2019 und 2022 werden in der Flughafenregion Zürich Rechenzentren im Wert von über einer Milliarde Franken gebaut. Zu den Investoren gehören Green Datacenter AG, Interxion, NTT Data und Equinix. Ihre grössten Kunden sind Google, Microsoft und Amazon Web Services. Der Grossraum Zürich gehört mittlerweile europaweit zu den wichtigsten Datacenter-Hubs nach London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin und Berlin. Die Forschung und Entwicklung soll mit dem geplanten Innovationsparks Zürich am Standort Dübendorf – Teil des Schweizerischen Innovationspark – vorangetrieben werden. Die Themenschwerpunkte für den Innovationspark Zürich sind wie folgt definiert: Life Science und Lebensqualität, Engineering und Umwelt, Digitale Technologien und Kommunikation. Der Park soll die Zusammenführung des Wissens der Zürcher Hoch- und Fachhochschulen mit der Praxis- und Markterfahrung führender Unternehmen fördern.
USP Die Flughafenregion Zürich gehört zu den schnellstwachsenden Regionen der Schweiz. Die hervorragende verkehrstechnische Lage ist ein wichtiger Wettbewerbsvorteil. Hier haben viele internationale Konzerne ihren Sitz. Die Hochschulen und ihre Forschungseinrichtungen sind in unmittelbarer Nähe. Das gilt ebenso für Naherholungsgebiete und Shopping Centers. Seit einigen Jahren entwickelt sich erfolgreich ein ICT-Cluster – von Datacenter-Anbietern bis Kreativwirtschaft.
Testimonials
Remo Weibel Global Sana
Der Richtsatz für 10-jährige Festhypotheken ist seit Anfang Jahr stark gestiegen. Grund dafür ist die Zinserhöhung der US-Notenbank. Wir gehen davon aus, dass die SARON-Hypothek nach wie vor attraktiv bleibt, da noch einige Zinsschritte der SNB nötig sind, bis die Zinssätze für SARON-Hypotheken steigen.
Gregor Meili Kenny’s Auto-Center AG
Die Flughafenregion zeichnet sich durch eine hohe Dynamik aus. Das ist der Verkehrsknotenpunkt der Schweiz und in der Mobilität spielt Kenny’s Auto-Center eine wichtige Rolle. Deshalb investieren wir hier und an weiteren Standorten. Wir bauen aus, um für die Herausforderungen der Zukunft vorbereitet zu sein.
Patrick Angioy Seitzmeir Immobilien AG
«Die Flughafenregion erweist sich als leistungsfähiger Wirtschaftsstandort mit maximaler Verkehrsinfrastruktur und bietet Unternehmen jeglicher Grösse hervorragende Voraussetzungen für ein erfolgreiches Business – regional, national wie auch international. Dank eines attraktiven Steuerfusses, einer unkomplizierten Ansiedlungspraxis und innovativen Neubauprojekten wie z. B. dem WestGate (www.westgate-zurich.ch), gehört Kloten meines Erachtens bei jedem erfolgsorientierten Unternehmen auf die Watchlist bei der Suche nach einem neuen Standort.»
Since the summer of 2020, the civil engineering office in Zurich has been running a pilot project to reduce heat. According to a press release from the city of Zurich , differently colored road surfaces were applied to Roggenstrasse in Zurich-West in order to measure the effect on the temperature. The results show that the light-colored coverings – in contrast to shadows from trees and houses – only have a minor influence on the temperature.
For these measurements, new surfaces were installed on Roggenstrasse and the road was divided into three areas: a reference area made of conventional, street-gray asphalt and two areas with a beige and a reddish surface, according to the city’s statement. Cameras and embedded probes recorded the surface temperature and heat storage of the pads.
The results now available show a minor effect of the light-colored deposits on the surface temperature. The reference surface in conventional gray was even about 2 degrees cooler on average than the two bright surfaces. This result can be explained by the shadow that trees and a high building temporarily cast on the reference area, it is said. It therefore heated up less.
The differences between the two light surfaces were small. The beige covering stayed a little cooler than the reddish one. Calculations showed that if all surfaces had been exposed to the same amount of sunlight, the light surfaces would have been 2 degrees cooler than the reference area.
The results of the pilot project clearly show how important shade and trees are for reducing heat in cities, according to the civil engineering office.
The federal government has presented a reference work for new buildings and buildings to be renovated that shows the effect of building materials on the heat in urban and densely populated areas. It was created by the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland on behalf of the Federal Office for Housing ( BWO ).
According to a media release by the BWO, the catalog compares materials for outdoor use such as floor coverings and facades and explains their effect on the outside temperature. It also takes into account other properties of the materials, such as how they reflect sunlight or how much water floor coverings allow to seep away.
The BWO calls on planners, developers and house owners to consult this material catalog when choosing suitable materials. In addition, the Office invites the scientific community to further develop and research the topic. Because according to the latest climate scenarios, the average temperatures in Switzerland will be 2.5 to 4.5 degrees higher by 2060 than in the period from 1981 to 2010. This means that the buildings that are being built or renovated today will be the microclimate of tomorrow shape.
The Institute for Digital Building at the FHNW has won Eder Martinez as a professor. According to a press release , the focus of his teaching will be on digital twins and the information lifecycle. “Anyone who wants to build with digital support and needs-oriented in the future must be able to collect, automate, map and process information in a targeted manner,” explains Manfred Huber, head of the institute, explaining the background to the focus.
Martinez received his master’s and doctorate degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). Among other things, he worked as a civil engineer and specialist for cooperation processes on construction sites in Chile and Ecuador. He has also supported companies such as Hilti and Implenia in digital construction projects.
The FHNW only founded the Institute for Digital Building in 2018. According to the university, it has grown significantly since then. With Martinez, the second professorship in the field of information management will be filled this year.
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