Category: Trends

City Pop: New app for microliving

City Pop combines the need for microliving apartments with social living. This is how City Pop differs significantly from other microliving providers. «Our app should meet the needs of our guests and meet the requirements for sustainable living. All services relevant to everyday life can be accessed centrally in one place and are easy to use. We also want to provide tenants with an uncomplicated platform on which they can network and exchange ideas. The aim is to create a real community that helps new tenants to integrate into the respective city, ”explains Manuel Sassella, CEO of City Pop.
Innovation and flexibility
The app is the heart of City Pop and the key to the City Pop apartments and the associated services. For example, the apartment can be viewed autonomously before booking. A time slot can be reserved via the app during which individual access to the apartment is possible. Booking and management of the rental agreement for the apartment, ancillary rooms and services are also carried out directly via the app. City Pop confirms the conclusion of the contract in just under 30 minutes and unlocks the virtual house key. «Last year we focused on creating a new and leaner user interface – using solid, secure and scalable technologies. A brand new, engaging and interactive experience that adapts to the needs of our guests, not the other way around. The focus is on innovation and maximum flexibility, ”says Alex Sassella, City Pop's Chief Technology Officer and responsible for the development of the app. The experiences and needs of the guests are continuously integrated into the further development of the entire City Pop concept via the app's feedback functions and thus also flow into the future design of the houses and apartments.
Community idea in the foreground
In addition to the additional services such as laundry and cleaning service, delivery service or car and bike sharing, the app also offers "house chat" – the opportunity to easily get in touch with neighbors, to meet up and exchange ideas. The “Around you” column shows what offers and activities are available in the area. City Pop's social living concept includes not only virtual, but also physical spaces that are intended to promote exchange, such as common rooms for events and coworking spaces.
City Pop is expanding nationally and internationally
City Pop is the first provider in Switzerland to have developed a holistic microliving concept in which living space, innovative technology and social community ideas go hand in hand. The implementation takes place at national and international level. In Switzerland, the Swiss company offers apartments in Zurich and Lugano. The occupancy rate in the apartments is over 98% on average. Further projects in Lausanne, Zurich, Geneva and Basel are under construction and will be ready for occupancy over the next two years. In addition, City Pop took over around 1,300 apartments in Switzerland and Europe last year, which are currently being converted in accordance with the City Pop concept. Including cities like Milan, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Dublin, Berlin, Frankfurt and Prague. City Pop aims to operate 15,000 apartments in 57 major European cities by 2025.
Further information on City Pop's innovative living concept is available at: www.citypop.com
Download the app from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store

June 2021
The construction industry will increasingly rely on robots in the future

In the next ten years, 81 percent of construction companies want to introduce robotics and automation or intensify their use. This is the result of a survey by the technology group ABB among 1,900 companies in Europe, China and the USA. According to a press release, only 55 percent of the companies surveyed are currently using robots – compared to 84 percent in the automotive industry and 79 percent in the manufacturing sector.
The reasons for the intention to automate are to be found in the increasing shortage of skilled workers worldwide. An equally strong argument is the improvement of health protection and safety on the construction site. Environmental protection is also one of the main drivers for changes in the industry.
"The new awareness of health, safety and sustainability is massively accelerating investment in robotics," said Sami Atiya, head of ABB's Robotics & Factory Automation division . "At the same time, the decreasing supply of skilled workers means that the construction industry increasingly needs robots to keep up with the challenges of urbanization and climate change." Internal analyzes by ABB Robotics on the market potential of robot-assisted automation in the next ten years assume high double-digit growth rates the end. This applies above all to the key areas of construction, including precast construction and 3D printing.
ABB works with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich , among others, to develop new automation solutions. At the Institute for Technology in Architecture located there , ABB contributed to setting up the world's first laboratory for collaborative, robot-assisted digital manufacturing in architecture. The latest technology for large-scale 3D printing in the construction industry can currently be seen at the Architecture Biennale in Venice. It is part of an installation by the Austrian architecture firm MAEID.

May 2021
PropTech – the evolution of the real estate industry

Why PropTech? The traditional real estate economy has some drawbacks. It is limited in its supply, has lengthy rental and payment processes, and suffers from a lack of automation and flexibility. PropTech companies try to tackle all of these challenges with innovative approaches.
PropTech evolution
The World Economic Forum in Davos divided the PropTech scene into three categories: PropTech 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0.
PropTech 1.0
This generation was marked by the growth of online advertising sites. It all started in the 1980s with the invention of personal computers. Various real estate market analysis companies were formed that produced a large amount of real estate data. This wave ended in 2000 when the dot-com bubble burst. At the same time, real estate agencies were shifting their markets to the Internet.
PropTech 2.0
Advances in computing made the development of complex transactional environments faster and more accessible. The use of data analysis and virtual reality enabled the real estate market to offer better and more specialized services to clients.
While the first wave consisted mainly of established companies that went online, the second wave saw startups that are mainly active in the commercial, residential or mortgage sectors.
PropTech 3.0
New technologies offer more opportunities to optimize the real estate market. Innovations in the financial and legal sectors allowed the real estate industry to improve the transparency and fluidity of their operations with security mechanisms. Big data, AR and VR, 3D printing and cryptocurrencies will create opportunities to advance the real estate industry into the future.
You can find an overview of PropTech solutions of the third generation at https://proptechmarket.net/loesungen

May 2021
"SVIT-Switzerland Award Innovation in Real Estate" is determined by public voting

Among the participants in the “SVIT-Switzerland Award Innovation in Real Estate” voting, we are giving away 3 x 2 entry tickets to participate in the award ceremony on August 30, 2021 (value per ticket CHF 240.—). One vote can be cast per email address. The winners will be determined and notified personally at the end of July 2021. No correspondence will be entered into about the raffle and the judges' decision is final.
To the website

May 2021
FenX convinces with sustainable insulation material

FenX AG has secured 2.7 million francs in a seed financing round, according to a press release . Investors include the real estate company Swiss Prime Site, Zürcher Kantonalbank and CADFEM International, which specializes in simulation-based planning.

FenX AG has developed a patented technology with which industrial waste can be converted into insulation boards using a cost-effective foam process at room temperature. According to the communication, the insulation boards produced in this way have good insulation properties and high mechanical strength. They are not flammable and cause almost no CO2 emissions.

On the one hand, FenX intends to use the fresh funds to continue investing in research and development. On the other hand, the company wants to set up its first production facility and prepare for market entry. FenX's long-term goal is to produce recyclable building materials around the world. Production is to take place decentrally from locally available resources.

FenX was spun off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH) in 2019. Behind the company are researchers from the ETH Laboratory for Complex Materials.

May 2021
MLP evaluates real estate with software from PriceHubble

In the future, MLP Finanzberatung SE will work with the digital solutions for live analysis of the real estate market from PriceHubble . According to a media release, the Zurich technology company is providing MLP with its headquarters in Wiesloch near Heidelberg with the software and extensive real estate data integrated into the MLP website. PriceHubble builds digital products based on the analysis of large amounts of data and artificial intelligence, with which current market trends and the development of real estate can be observed.

"Our consultants can quickly and efficiently respond to the needs of their customers, assess the market value of a property for purchase or sale and, based on this, develop the best strategy for real estate investments," says Marc-Philipp Unger, Head of Financing at MLP and Executive Board member at the subsidiary Deutschland.Immobilien, quoted in the media release. Real estate investments are often the largest and most emotional asset in a private finance portfolio. Therefore, they should be carefully considered and based on reliable data.

According to the press release, existing customers who already own a property will soon receive regular evaluation dossiers for their investment. Following on from this, MLP employees can talk to their clients about investments or a sale. The program is also intended to be used in discussions with potential customers who are just thinking about buying or selling a property, financing or converting a residential property and who just want to find out more.

May 2021
SVIT Switzerland Award “Innovation in Real Estate” will be presented for the first time at the Real Estate Award 2021

Nominee projects:
Business case RenoRent
Feasibility study on the renovation and touristic activation of second homes
Safe living in old age
Safe living in old age is an offer from Immobilien Basel-Stadt and Building Insurance Basel-Stadt to their tenants over 65 years of age.
Basel cost rental model
Real estate strategy for the financial assets of the canton of Basel-Stadt
Global Real Estate Run
Global event for innovation and sustainability in the real estate industry
Interim project – temporary use and vacancy management
Projekt Interim offers flexible solutions for temporary spaces throughout Switzerland.
EDELWEISS – office houseboat
The mobile real estate showroom
The members of the German-speaking SVIT member organizations have the opportunity to determine the winner in a public vote. The nominees for the award can be found under the following link https://realestateinnovation.ch/.

May 2021
Empa and Eawag expand campus

The symbolic construction work for the expansion of the research campus by Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf began on Wednesday. The groundbreaking ceremony gave the go-ahead for a new laboratory building. In addition, a multifunctional building and a multi-storey car park are planned on the 20,000 square meter site. According release Empa and completion is scheduled for the middle of the 2024th
The laboratory building will provide space for around 60 new laboratories and offices, the multifunctional building 1000 square meters of office space and space for restaurants on the ground floor. All parking spaces will be moved to the multi-storey car park. A total of 260 vehicles should find space in it. This would make the outside areas more inviting and safer for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, more greening is possible.
In the future, research will not only be carried out in, but also on and with the new buildings. Innovations from Empa's laboratories are to be used primarily in the areas of energy and building technology. For example, a field with geothermal probes is planned that will store the waste heat from the buildings and release it again in winter. A research project will then investigate how this innovation affects the campus energy supply.

May 2021
Global Real Estate Run: Event with follow-up boost

Almost 1,400 participants from 46 countries and 6 continents ran for the “good cause” and set a sustainable example. With the cultivation of 6,000 trees, one for every kilometer covered, approx. 132 tons of CO2 are offset per year.
According to the motto “Do good and talk about it”, the organizers thank all participants and look forward to one or the other great additional commitment as part of the running event sponsored by Homegate AG , SPG Intercity Zurich AG and PropTechMarket in Switzerland. Numerous pictures, insights and experiences were shared on the set up social media wall.
Meno Lammers, founder of the PropTech for Good initiative in the Netherlands, collected a lot of rubbish from the roadside on the 6-kilometer route and thus gave the sustainability initiative its own “green stamp”. Others, on the other hand, used the Global Real Estate Run for their team building and were pleasantly surprised that the team spirit is still absolutely present despite the minimized exchange opportunities during the lockdowns. H&B Real Estate awaited the participating employees in Zurich with a spontaneous Slow Food aperitif and outdoor exchange. BuildingMinds, based in Berlin, used the participation for new employees to not only see their colleagues via virtual collaboration platforms, but also to get to know them personally in corona-compliant teams of two. PriceHubble was represented by 100 employees, friends and families in several countries – in Japan, Tunisia, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine and Singapore. Photos and videos were shared on a dedicated Slack channel, thus reawakening the international team spirit even in times of canceled business flights. However, many participants simply enjoyed the run for themselves, as a short break "to ventilate their heads" and to make room for new ideas.
More stories and posts at:
globalrealestaterun.com/socialmediawall

May 2021
The most modern Swiss sawmill is under construction

Tschopp Holzindustrie AG in Buttisholz is investing 75 million francs to replace its now 21-year-old and overloaded sawmill. According to the company, the most modern sawmill in Switzerland is to be built on an area of 20,000 square meters. The company is run in the third generation by the brothers Ronald and Daniel Tschopp.
With this investment, Tschopp Holzindustrie AG is setting an important example for the domestic wood industry, according to a media release. This means that more wood-based materials made from Swiss wood could be made available to the market in the long term.
The new plant is designed for 300,000 cubic meters of logs. They should be managed from the log yard in one-shift operation and from the sawing line, including the sorting plant and stacking systems, in a maximum of two shifts. The wood species spruce / fir from local forests would also be processed in the future. Tschopp continues to rely on the "long-term and professional partnership with the proven raw wood suppliers".
Tschopp Holzindustrie AG specializes in the manufacture of formwork panels for the construction industry. Since 2005, pellets have been produced from the waste wood for the energy industry. Tschopp is the market leader in Switzerland in both areas.
After the new sawmill has gone into operation, timber construction companies will also be offered products that have not yet been manufactured at home or not industrially manufactured in Germany and therefore have to be imported from abroad, such as three-layer natural wood panels.

May 2021
Holcim drives innovation from start-ups

The Zug-based cement giant Holcim is teaming up with three young Swiss companies, according to a media release . The aim is to advance innovative technologies in the construction sector and promote sustainability.

In cooperation with the Freiburg start-up Mobbot , for example, the integration of recycled building materials into 3D printing technology is to be promoted. Mobbot has developed the necessary 3D printing technology. Together with Holcim, it now wants to develop a concrete recipe that enables the use of recycled material in 3D printing.

Holcim has entered into another cooperation with the Bern-based company Neuustark . The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ) is developing a technology with which CO2 from the atmosphere can be permanently stored in recycled concrete. For this purpose, liquid CO2 is introduced into the demolition material. As part of the collaboration, neustark is investigating the CO2 conversion potential of the demolition concrete recycled by Holcim. In turn, Holcim is optimizing the concrete produced by Neustark. Holcim believes it is possible to integrate the neustark solution into its recycling process in the future.

The third collaboration between Holcim and the Ticino start-up company HeatNeutral has been agreed. This has developed an innovative combustion system that is intended to promote the decarbonization of production facilities. According to the information, the heating system works particularly efficiently and achieves an almost 100 percent combustion of fuels. This means that less fuel is required for the same output. In addition, the HeatNeutral system can also burn CO2-neutral oils such as vegetable oils, used cooking oils and biodiesel. Holcim is testing the solution in its concrete plant in Birsfelden BL.

April 2021
Real Estate Award 2021: These are the nominees!

Outstanding achievements are honored, regardless of the size of a company. The presentation of the awards as part of the Real Estate Award on June 21, 2021 is then also a special occasion where the real estate and construction industries meet. In the past few years, over 2,800 people have taken part in the Real Estate Award ceremony, making the event an important fixture on the real estate industry's agenda.
The jury of real estate experts and economists made a pre-selection from all the applications submitted: Based on criteria such as vision, strategy, pioneering spirit, originality, scalability and special service, the jury nominated three projects in each category for the Real Estate Award 2021.
In the category management:
– Credit Trust – "The digital alternative to the debt enforcement extract – especially for managers"
– VERIT Immobilien AG – "VERIT thinks the tenant onboarding process digitally through to the end"
– PRIVERA AG «Tenant concerns intelligently automated – fast, lean, smart – IMOFIX» In the category
Project development:
– NEST Interiors AG – "Idyllic residential area on the Fischingerbach"
– Felix Partner Architektur AG – "West-Log"
– CCTM Real Estate & Infrastructure AG – "Swiss Life Arena"
In the Marketing category:
– Tend AG – "Bear Tower"
– Marti Gesamtdienstleistungen AG – "Schäferhöhe – Get out of the stables"
– LIVIT AG – "Guggachpark"
In the conversion / conversion category:
Felix Partner Architektur AG – "From the ruin to the zero-energy balance house"
– Credit Suisse Asset Manag. – «Transformation Schwarzenburgstr. Liebefeld »
– Marazzi + Paul Architects AG – «Schönburg Bern»
In the Real Estate / Construction Digital category
SV Group AG – "Stay KooooK"
– Price Hubble AG – "Property Tracker"
– SBB – "Smart City Lab Basel"
The real estate and construction industry now has the final say: From May 1 to June 15, 2021, the www. realestateaward.ch online for the nominated applications.
The winners will then be presented with the awards on June 21, 2021 at the Real Estate Award ceremony in Zurich. If this date is not possible due to any BAG regulations, the event will take place on August 30, 2021.
The real estate personality of the year, chosen by the jury, will also be honored on this evening.
At the same time as the Real Estate Award is presented, the SVIT Switzerland Award "Innovation in Real Estate" will be presented. https://realestateinnovation.ch/
Order tickets for the Real Estate Award ceremony at: www.realestateaward.ch or SVIT – https://realestateinnovation.ch/

April 2021
Helvetia is investing in German real estate fintech

The insurance group Helvetia continues to invest in the real estate sector. He has invested in the Hamburg company Baufi24 through the Helvetia Venture Fund. This started in 2006 as a search engine for mortgage lending. Since then it has positioned itself as a broker for real estate finance.

Baufi24 raised a total of 6.7 million euros in its financing round. In addition to Helvetia, the St. Gallen risk capital company Btov has invested. With the fresh money, Baufi24 wants to further develop its technology and expand its branch network in Germany.

“We believe in the experienced team at Baufi24 and see great potential for the digitization of real estate financing. Since the pandemic in particular, online offers in the area of finance have been in greater demand, ”said Michael Wieser, Managing Partner of the Helvetia Venture Fund, in a press release from Baufi24.

In Switzerland, Helvetia acquired the real estate and mortgage broker Moneypark in 2017. Investing in Baufi24 would now result in "interesting exchange opportunities for both sides", said Patrick Scherrer, Head of Strategy & M&A at Helvetia, in a Helvetia press release.

April 2021
Global real estate event: Run & have fun!

There are no special requirements for participation, only the will to complete 6 kilometers within 24 hours. Alone or with the family, at your own pace or with team support. Every participant is free to run or take a walk. A welcome occasion for a chat among work colleagues, for digital socializing in what seems to be eternal times of social distancing. A pleasant side effect: Exercising in the fresh air is not only good for the soul, one or the other kilogram of body weight due to the corona lockdown can also give way.
Anyone can take part – anywhere in the world. Those interested can register online at globalrealestaterun.com until April 28th. After registering, the participant receives access to a geotagged app. The route can be chosen freely and regardless of location. With this initiative, the organizers want to draw attention to the need for innovations to achieve sustainability goals in the real estate industry. Everyone can contribute something to this. Because sustainability is not a local but a global issue. Just like the Global Real Estate Run. Thanks to the main sponsors Homegate, SPG Intercity Zurich AG and PropTechMarket, a tree will be planted for each participant as a “green” sign.
Registration and more at: https://globalrealestaterun.com/

April 2021
Sascha Zahnd is to lead digitalswitzerland

The digitalswitzerland general assembly is called upon to approve a change at the top of the location initiative: Sascha Zahnd is to take over the presidency of the executive committee on July 1, informs digitalswitzerland in a message . The Bernese succeeds Ivo Furrer. Furrer had already announced when he took office that he would give up the presidency after three years in office.

By the end of 2020, Zahnd was "one of the closest employees of Tesla founder Elon Musk", the message further explains. At Tesla , the designated President of digitalswitzerland had acted as European boss and Vice President Global Supply Chain. Zahnd had previously worked for ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse and IKEA . He is currently active for mytheresa.com and Valora AG , among others.

"Sascha Zahnd is one of the most impressive top managers in Switzerland with a lot of international experience," Marc Walder, founder of digitalswitzerland, is quoted in the press release. The designated president of the location initiative stands for “innovation, transformation and entrepreneurship”. According to Walder, digitalswitzerland wants to continue campaigning for the country's digital transformation. Here the pandemic "relentlessly exposed Switzerland's existing weaknesses".

Ivo Furrer will stay on digitalswitzerland as a member of the board of directors. The vice presidency is to remain with the FDP National Council (SG) and entrepreneur Marcel Dobler.

April 2021
Flatfox buys furniture

Mobiliar acquired Flatfox on April 7th, informs the insurance cooperative in a message . The Zurich-based company has developed a platform with a free marketplace for real estate. Flatfox also offers corporate customers digital tools for the rental process.

With the takeover of Flatfox, Mobiliar wants to strengthen its real estate business. Founders and employees should remain active for Flatfox under the umbrella of Mobiliar, explains Mobiliar. In addition, the new acquisition will continue to operate under the brand name Flatfox. The two partners have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

The insurance cooperative is already active in the real estate sector together with Ringier with the marketplace Scout24 Schweiz AG as well as with the craftsmen platform buildigo and the tenant platform aroov. The aroov tenant platform developed jointly with Garaio REM is to remain independent, but will cooperate with Flatfox in the future. "The interaction between aroov and Flatfox offers private customers attractive services and complete solutions for real estate professionals, thanks to which they are present with the right offer at the right time with the tenants," explains Mobiliar COO Andrea Kleiner in the press release.

In addition to this offer on the tenant market, Mobiliar is planning to launch an offer for owners of residential property this summer, the press release further explains. The corresponding Liiva platform was developed by Mobiliar together with Raiffeisen.

April 2021
The innovation award is intended to promote the Unterland location

SMEs based in the Zürcher Unterland can apply for an innovation award for the first time. The official announcement takes place in summer. This award is being launched by the new business and trade council of the Zürcher Unterland location association. It is endowed with 5000 francs. It is donated by the Zürcher Kantonalbank .

According to a press release, the ZKB Innovation Prize Zürcher Unterland will be awarded for the first time on October 1st at the new Zurich North business symposium in Glattfelden ZH. Both the innovation award and the business symposium are viewed by the Zurich Unterland Economic and Commercial Council, which was founded last autumn, as its first two “flagship events”.

According to Co-Managing Director Darius Daftarian, the Zürcher Unterland is still insufficiently perceived as a business location in a cantonal comparison. What is missing is “a regional and supra-regional awareness of the strength of the location”.

This is one of the reasons why the new economic and trade council wants to promote knowledge transfer for SMEs. To this end, existing economic and trade networks would have to be merged. "When different people with different backgrounds meet, everyone can benefit," said Michael Ricklin, President of the Dielsdorf ZH district trade association, quoted in the press release.

April 2021
The coworking industry is optimistic about the future

The coworking industry can look back on a difficult 2020, as stated in a press release by the industry association Coworking Switzerland . According to a survey, 56 percent of the association's members suffered losses in the past year. After the restrictions in spring 2020 and a subsequent recovery, the obligation to work from home, which was declared in autumn, hit the industry hard. In addition, the community concept is one of the essential aspects of the coworking concept, but is difficult to maintain in times of contact restrictions.

For the time after Corona, however, the industry is looking positively to the future. Many employees would like to not return to the office to the extent they were used to after the crisis. Instead, they want to make their working hours more flexible and use other locations for their work, according to Coworking Switzerland. The home office is an option here, but then there is no social exchange. In this respect, coworking spaces are the ideal alternative.

Coworking Switzerland refers here to a study by Deloitte. According to this, only 12 percent of those surveyed want to continue their work in the usual framework after the crisis. On the other hand, 62 percent would like more flexibility in the future, with 44 percent viewing the lack of social contacts in the home office as the greatest challenge.

The industry wants to take advantage of this opportunity. With 150 coworking spaces, there is a nationwide offer in Switzerland. Coworking Switzerland is now also starting a campaign in which attention is drawn to the advantages of coworking spaces. The association also produced a video for this.

April 2021
This is how blockchain is conquering the real estate industry

The term blockchain should be familiar by now. Most associate it with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. That's right, where blockchain is just the technology and Bitcoin is a resulting application. Even if the technology may seem complicated, the Swiss blockchain expert Michael Trübestein is certain: “Blockchain technology is comparable to the beginning of the Internet. It won't go away anymore. At the moment it is just uncertain how it will develop. "
First you have to understand how a blockchain works: It consists of individual blocks – each of which stores data such as transactions. A blockchain works decentrally. In other words, anyone around the world can join a blockchain – virtually via a computer, of course. Every single computer stores all and exactly the same blocks that form a chain. Each block has its own «DNA». A new computer will only be admitted if it has been checked and verified by all other computers. Once programmed on a blockchain, it cannot be changed retrospectively by a single computer. For this, all computers would have to be involved – and that is exactly what makes the blockchain so secure. If a single computer tries to change the blockchain, the chain is immediately interrupted and the culprit is excluded.
"Hello World" in Baar is the first property in the world to be tokenized
The possibilities of blockchain technology are enormous for the real estate industry, as Michael Trübestein says. He is professor for real estate management at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, with a focus on real estate investment and real estate asset management. Numerous companies are currently researching possible areas of application. “Currently there are only a few applications, such as in the land register or in the investment / financing area. The world's first tokenization of a property, the “Hello World” property in Baar, ”says Trübestein, is an outstanding example. 20 percent of “Hello World” (CHF 3 million) of the property value was tokenized by the Zug-based company “Blockimmo” and sold to four investors.
The company “Crowdlitoken” has also specialized in real estate: the start-up founded in 2018 sees itself as a digital real estate bond. «Investors can participate in selected Swiss real estate from 100 francs / euro. After the investment, our users can put together their own real estate portfolio by placing their purchased bonds (Crowdlitokens “CRTs”) individually on the various Crowdlitoken properties, ”says Domenic Kurt, CEO of Crowdlitoken, explaining the concept. By participating in the real estate, the investors generate returns of up to 7 percent per year. You can either have this paid out monthly to your bank account or receive it in CRTs.
Access to the financial market is being liberalized
A bank does not have to be interposed for a digital bond, which is cheaper for the investor. Crowd
litoken already has 630 investors with a volume of 18 million CRTs. The real estate portfolio is constantly being expanded. The Swiss professional footballer Diego Benaglio is one of the prominent users of Crowdlitoken. Kurt defines what distinguishes Crowdlitoken from other companies that also rely on blockchain technology: “There is no comparable competitor who enables investors to invest such a low amount as an entry point for a stake in several properties. Investors can access the portal from their smartphone, where they can manage their entire investment. "
It is clear to both Trübestein and Kurt that blockchain has disruptive potential. The CEO of Crowdlitoken says: “Banks are becoming obsolete for investment products like ours. New sales channels are emerging and access to the financial market is being liberalized. " On the one hand, the digitization of the capital market is inherently completely disruptive, as this leads to an opening of the market. «There are no entry barriers; Entry sums are reduced. " On the other hand, the digitization of securities is inherently disruptive: “This means that values are no longer transferred via third parties. With blockchain-based securities, it is possible to send values without duplicating them, ”explains Kurt.
Trübestein adds: “Some applications such as crypto currencies have already influenced the world and the way market participants think. Nobody knows how the applications will develop in the future, but the advantages are already clearly visible. " The prerequisites are also in place in Switzerland: "We have target-oriented framework conditions and innovative companies here," says Trübestein. Cooperation between companies is important when implementing innovations. This is what happened, for example, with the “Hello World” property – the transaction results from a collaboration between Block-immo, Elea Labs and Swiss Crypto Tokens.
Michael Trübestein
Domenic Kurt
What is a token
Domenic Kurt, Crowdlitoken: A digital asset (token) based on the blockchain. It is a digital representation of a security. It contains property rights to the bond as well as the right to returns and represents a repayment obligation.
What is blockchain?
Michael Trübestein, Expert: A sequence (= chain) of information (= block). These are "time stamped" and are stored on several computers. This guarantees a high level of protection against forgery. There are also public and non-public systems. It can be used around the clock, seven days a week.
What can blockchain technology do better than a bank?
Domenic Kurt, Crowdlitoken: With blockchain-based securities it is possible to send values without duplicating them. It replaces the book of creditors and ensures that processes are designed and implemented in a leaner, more cost-effective and efficient manner.

March 2021
Swiss train stations perform moderately

Of 50 train stations in Europe that were examined, the train stations in Bern and Zurich performed moderately to poorly in terms of passenger-friendliness. According to a press release, Bern train station landed in 40th place in the European Railway Index 2021, while Zurich train station was in 21st place.

The consumer protection group Consumer Choice Center , based in Washington, has examined in its index, among other things, the shopping experience, the accessibility, the WLAN network, the number of national and international destinations as well as the choice of travel providers.

The main train station in Bern, for example, has toilets for wheelchair users, but with six shops and eight restaurants only a very limited range of options for eating and shopping. The Zurich main station offers more than 53 shops and 39 restaurants, but does not provide barrier-free toilets for wheelchair users.

Leipzig Central Station performed best in front of Vienna Central Station and St. Pancras in London. According to a media release, the train station in the German state of Saxony offers most domestic destinations, many shops and restaurants, and several railway companies.

March 2021
Empa is replacing bitumen in road construction with string

Researchers at the Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt ( Empa ) are currently examining a new method for stabilizing the amount of stone in road construction. Specifically, according to the press release, it is about replacing the bitumen binding agent in the production of the driving surface. Asphalt consists of stones of different shapes and sizes and only becomes a surface that can be used for roads when it is stabilized with the help of bitumen.

Bitumen causes environmental problems. Air pollutants are released during production from crude oil and later during use. Asphalt is also prone to cracks and deformations and impermeable to rainwater, which pollutes the environment.

The two Empa researchers Martin Arraigada and Saeed Abbasion from the concrete and asphalt department at Empa are currently implementing a method known from art for the production of road surfaces in a test arrangement. In such art objects, stone steles have been used, which are stabilized by a weave of twine and withstand loads of up to 20 tons at a height of 80 centimeters.

In the experiment, an electronically controlled robot arm applies a string to a stone layer in a specific pattern. By “interweaving” the stones are fixed in five layers in their position in the “road bed”. In tests, these were already as strong as conventional bitumen asphalt under loads of half a ton. Inexpensive twine was used, such as are conventionally used for tying up packages.

The trials have not yet led to a ready-to-use product that could be used in road construction. The basic work, however, provides a lot of innovation potential in order to get closer to a recyclable and perhaps rollable road surface using simple means, according to the Empa announcement. A video of the procedure can also be viewed on the website.

March 2021
Andermatt Reuss continues to grow

Andermatt Swiss Alps AG notes a sustained high demand for residential property in the mountains. The company plans, builds and develops the year-round destination Andermatt. The new district of Andermatt Reuss will be built according to a master plan by 30 international architectural offices, it says on their website.

Six apartment houses are currently under construction, according to Andermatt Swiss Alps AG in a media release. 36 of the 46 apartments are already reserved. After the snow melts, the construction of two more houses will begin. In the past few months, several houses around the Piazza Gottardo have grown in height. Some of them were already sold out in the shell construction phase or only had a few apartments left.

In the coming months, the infrastructure base, known as the podium, on which the new buildings are located, will be expanded further. The next expansion will cover around 19,000 square meters and offer space for 16 houses. In addition, it is planned to start preparatory work for the third hotel in the summer.

March 2021
Coconut fiber becomes a building material

As early as 2014, the Institute for Materials and Wood Technology (IWH) at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) started a research project in which inexpensive and sustainable building material based on coconut fibers was to be developed, the BFH informed in a message . The experience gained is being further developed by Michail Kyriazopoulos in a spin-off from the BFH. The former student and research assistant at the IWH founded the start-up NaturLoop together with Daniel Dinizo.

As the first product, NaturLoop has launched a building board made from coconut fibers. Crop waste from Filipino coconut farmers is used for their production. "With Cocoboard we offer a sustainable, cheap and local alternative to conventional building materials", Kyriazopoulos is quoted in the communication. The next thing on the NaturLoop program is the opening of a production facility in the Philippines.

The products of the young company from Bern are intended to reduce the Philippines' dependence on imported building materials. The sale of coconut fibers also offers local coconut farmers an additional source of income. "As a technology service provider, we want to offer complete solutions for the development of sustainable, natural biocomposites made from agricultural by-products," says NaturLoop CEO Dinizio. For him, sustainability means "taking into account the mutual dependence of nature and people."

March 2021
Implenia relies on virtual reality for Lokstadt-Areal

Implenia uses the advantages of virtual reality (VR) at the Lokstadt site in Winterthur. This is made possible thanks to a solution from the Zurich start-up Hegias . Right from the start, users were able to immerse themselves in the virtual plaster model of the area and walk through it from different perspectives.

Thanks to the solution, concerns of monument conservationists could also be quickly dispelled, writes Hegias in a press release. They initially had reservations about a new hotel, which should have shipping containers as a room. When the concept could be experienced virtually, they were convinced that the “valuable building fabric” would be preserved and that the halls would not be crammed full.

In addition, the VR solution is also useful for marketing real estate, according to the announcement. The spatial understanding and the experience of the residential property are essential drivers in the purchase decision. Implenia has already bought a license for the Hegias software. Now she wants to expand the use of the software.

"What was missing so far for the breakthrough of VR was user-friendly software that users can use anywhere without installation and without relevant programming knowledge," Anita Eckardt, head of the Specialties Division at Implenia and member of the management board, is quoted in the press release. "The start-up Hegias made this possible with the intuitively operable solution for VR applications – a real quantum leap."

March 2021
Parcel system should reduce delivery traffic

In the pandemic, the already growing online trade continued to grow, write the construction and transport department of the canton of Basel-Stadt , the association Pro Innenstadt Basel and the logistics cluster Region Basel in a joint message . The provider-neutral parcel systems they have developed are intended to remedy this. As part of a pilot project, the first of the so-called Smart Boxes has already been set up on Claraplatz.

Another smart box is to be set up at St. They want to test the acceptance and effectiveness of the parcel systems by February 2023. "The current pilot project is intended to show how much the offer is being used and how much the daily traffic volume can be reduced with it," said Deborah Strub, chairwoman of the Basel region logistics cluster, quoted in the press release.

The project is financed by the Office for Mobility of the Canton of Basel-Stadt and the Pro Innenstadt Basel association. “Residents of Basel can conveniently have the parcels they have ordered delivered to the Smart Box Basel, where they can pick them up around the clock,” explains the managing director of the association Mathias F. Böhm. The package systems are manufactured and operated by Huber AG . She has also developed a digital application for using the Smart Boxes.

March 2021
Asking rents continue to rise

The monthly rent index compiled by the digital real estate marketplace homegate.ch from TX Group in cooperation with Zürcher Kantonalbank closed at 115.6 points in February. Compared to the previous month, the prices for advertised rents have risen by an average of 0.17 percent, explains homegate.ch in a corresponding message. At the beginning of the year, too, prices had risen by an average of 0.17 percent. An increase in rental prices of 0.96 percent has been observed over the past twelve months.

In a monthly comparison, rents have risen in most cantons, writes homegate.ch. The sharpest increase in asking rents was registered in February in the canton of Schaffhausen, at 1.37 percent. In Zug and Glarus, asking rents also increased at an above-average rate of 0.84 and 0.69 percent, respectively. On the other hand, declines were measured in the cantons of Graubünden, Geneva and Ticino with values between -0.48 percent and -0.19 percent.

Homegate.ch makes different developments in the cities. The biggest increase was measured in a month-on-month comparison with 0.78 percent in Lugano. The asking rents in Lucerne and St.Gallen each increased by 0.20 percent compared to January. In Lausanne, Geneva and Bern, however, rents fell between 1.18 and 0.49 percent.

In the quality-adjusted recording of rental price changes for the rental index, the rental prices are corrected for the different quality, location and size of the apartments. This makes it possible to record the actual rental price development, it says in the message.

March 2021
Swisstopo data can now be accessed free of charge

All digital standard products from swisstopo are now available free of charge. The Federal Office for Topography wants to enable digital maps, aerial photographs, landscape models and geological vector data to be "used, distributed and reused". This also includes commercial uses, as swisstopo announced in a press release .

These data were made generally accessible following a Federal Council resolution. The Federal Council is thus pursuing the goal of an even wider use of geospatial information. In addition, this opening is part of the "Strategy for Open Administrative Data in Switzerland 2019-2023".

This data should be of particular interest to engineers, architects, programmers and planners. Access to official geospatial data will also be easier for research and science, the press release said.

In this way, swisstopo could make an active contribution to innovation and economic growth and at the same time support the digital transformation in Switzerland. The files are available in machine-readable form and can easily be integrated into digital processes.

March 2021
The digitization of the co-owner assemblies
Regardless of the Corona situation, the following difficulties must be addressed and overcome, especially at STWE meetings:
- Fair communication with all stakeholders
- Compliance with legal provisions and deadlines
- High administrative effort
- Compliance with deadlines
- Creation and assignment of tasks
- Logging of the entire meeting
Digitization has also given a huge boost to solutions in this area. Accordingly, various providers are active in the market who are trying to move the analogue process into the digital world, but not all of them succeed in this with the same simplicity and slightly broad solution approach. The preselection and quality check are all the more important here. The solution from our product portfolio can be understood as plug & play due to its compatibility with various ERP formats and IT infrastructures. Due to the one-time setup and the relatively small effort, the efficiency advantages stand out even more. As soon as everything has been installed and put in place, entire processes can be digitized and comprehensively dealt with.
Hybrid, partially digitized processes are also not a problem for the solution, which is very important in view of the different willingness / IT skills of the meeting participants. In this way, all of the above difficulties can be addressed and resolved using one and the same software.
The bottom line is that, with the support of the simple solution, flexible STWE meetings can be carried out physically and / or digitally, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of the implementation as well as of the preparation and follow-up work. This means that the focus can be put back on the work steps where specialist and social skills are needed. In addition to the digitization of management, other digital solutions have come into focus, which can be seen at PropTechMarket.net.
You can find out more about this at: https://proptechmarket.net/solutions
March 2021
Madaster realizes circular building

BIM Facility , GS1 and ZPF Ingenieure are the first three partners to sign an agreement with Madaster, the Swiss cadastre for materials in the built environment. "Your expertise and our platform make material data usable over the entire life cycle of buildings", managing director Marloes Fischer is quoted in a press release. "Together we can implement circular building."

BIM Facility wants to contribute to this with its modeling of building data. The Zurich-based company uses drones to create digital twins of buildings. The digital twin can be transferred directly to Madaster and a material pass can be issued.

Together with Madaster users, the non-profit organization GS1 wants to develop and implement solutions for the availability of reliable and precise data over the entire life cycle of a building, explains Uwe Rüdel, Sector Manager Technical Industries at GS1 Switzerland.

ZPF engineers from Zurich support builders and property owners in carrying out circular construction planning. They also analyze existing buildings on the basis of a material pass. According to executive board member Jaqueline Pauli, this should save raw materials.

Madaster's platform offers digital tools such as material passports and indexes on the economic and circular value of buildings. "Our job is to make materials available forever by giving them an identity on our platform," says Madaster's website. “If materials have an identity, they become a resource for reuse.” Every building is understood as a raw material store with a certain value.

March 2021
Siloxene offers "miracle material" for the chemical industry

After a successful research career at the Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt ( Empa ), Matthias Koebel founded his own start-up called Siloxene. With this he wants to market a multifunctional material component that he discovered and researched during his time at Empa.

In a press release , Empa describes the development as a “miracle material” for the chemical industry. Specifically, it is a silicon-based, molecular hybrid building material that is only about a nanometer in size. The material can be used to improve the properties of adhesives, coatings or fillers depending on the product and customer requirements. For example, coatings can be made more scratch-resistant or adhesives can have a shorter curing time. Empa also compares the material with the gene scissors Crispr / Cas, which was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine. This can be used to cure genetic diseases.

With its new start-up, which is based in Dübendorf, Koebel is primarily aimed at companies in the plastics processing, adhesive or sealant production and the building materials industry. "The regulatory hurdles are not so high here and we can relatively easily optimize their products and processes with the companies," he explains in the press release.

Koebel is currently concentrating on expanding its research and development department and on customer acquisition. He first wants to have his macromolecule produced by a contract manufacturer. "In the long term, however, I would like to set up my own production," he emphasizes.

February 2021