immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Baustoff

  • From ancient origins to modern architecture

    From ancient origins to modern architecture

    1. Development in Europe
      Wood was a popular building material in Europe until modern times. Construction methods evolved from log to post and beam buildings, with the latter being particularly favoured in areas with few forests. However, these post-and-beam buildings, which required less wood and used flexible filling materials such as clay, had a limited lifespan due to moisture.
    2. Revolution through half-timbered construction
      Half-timbered construction, which became established in the northern Alpine regions from the 12th century onwards, brought about a revolution in construction technology. This construction method allowed for more durable structures through the use of posts and struts, which reduced moisture damage and enabled the construction of multi-storey buildings. Timber-framed buildings are characterised by their decorative façades and technical sophistication.
    3. East Asian timber construction
      In contrast to European timber construction, traditional East Asian timber construction is mainly a skeleton construction characterised by its complex roof structures. In this building style, it is not the walls but the roof structures that bear the main load, resulting in a unique spatial effect and earthquake resistance.
    4. Influence of industrialisation
      With the onset of industrialisation in Europe in the 19th century, traditional timber construction began to be replaced by masonry and reinforced concrete. Nevertheless, timber was revitalised and further developed through innovations such as glued timber beams and new construction techniques.
    5. Renaissance of timber construction in the 21st century
      Since the start of the new millennium, timber construction has experienced a rebirth, driven by ecological benefits and technical innovations. Modern construction methods include hybrid structures made of timber, concrete and steel. These developments have led to the diverse and energy-efficient use of timber in architecture.
    6. The future of timber construction
      Timber construction has not only changed in terms of construction methods, but also in terms of perception. From traditional methods to digital production and BIM, timber is now a highly modern, versatile building material. With increasing acceptance in building legislation and continuous technical innovation, timber remains a central element of modern architecture.

    Wood as a building material has deep historical roots dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Age. How influential was wood in the construction of pile dwellings in the Lake Constance region and eastern Switzerland back then? What fascinating insights do these early wooden structures offer us? They arose from the need to clear forests for farmland. And so they not only enabled the colonisation of areas near the lake, but also created protection and new transport routes. An astonishing testimony to times gone by that still impresses us today.

  • “Baustoff Kreislauf Schweiz” – A new trade association for the construction and recycling industry

    “Baustoff Kreislauf Schweiz” – A new trade association for the construction and recycling industry

    With the founding of “Baustoff Kreislauf Schweiz”, the merger of arv Baustoffrecycling Schweiz and FSKB Fachverband der Schweizerischen Kies- und Betonindustrie has created an important new trade association. The aim of this merger is to make a significant contribution to the future of the construction and recycling industry in Switzerland. The focus is on securing the supply of mineral raw materials and promoting a value-preserving recycling economy.

    Unity and strength through member merger
    Over 400 members have formally approved the merger after the decision was taken at the respective general meetings. The new trade association aims to expand its expertise, recognise upcoming challenges and play an active role in shaping the Swiss construction industry. The high level of organisation and broad representation at the time of foundation demonstrate the strong foundation of “Baustoff Kreislauf Schweiz”.

    Focus on a sustainable circular economy
    The trade association is particularly committed to the sustainable use of mineral raw materials in order to respond to the increasing scarcity of resources. The focus is on maintaining building materials in the economic cycle, developing environmentally friendly technologies and methods and working closely with universities, research institutions and companies. A new competence centre will help to reduce the ecological impact of the industry and restore the quality of habitats after gravel extraction.

    Strategically securing the supply of raw materials
    Another focus is the security of supply and disposal of mineral building materials, which is becoming increasingly challenging due to growing scarcity and strict protective regulations. The association strives to ensure the supply of construction sites and optimise the reuse of building materials.

    Innovative leadership and extensive networking
    Under the leadership of Lionel Lathion, supplemented by a versatile vice-presidency and a broad-based board, the association not only aims to pool expertise, but also to intensify cooperation at cantonal and regional level. In this way, “Baustoff Kreislauf Schweiz” is positioning itself as a central point of contact for politicians and authorities with a high level of expertise and problem-solving skills.

  • Empa researches clay as a sustainable building material

    Empa researches clay as a sustainable building material

    Clay releases significantly less CO2 than concrete, explains the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research(Empa) in a press release. Ellina Bernard from Empa’s Concrete & Asphalt Laboratory in Dübendorf and the Chair of Sustainable Construction at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich is working to establish clay as a sustainable alternative to concrete. Their project is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation(SNSF) with an Ambizione grant.

    Clay is found in different geological compositions all over the world. The sustainable building material could replace concrete in non-load-bearing structures as well as in load-bearing walls of residential buildings. For large-scale use, Bernard and her team want to define standards for composition and mechanical strength. On the other hand, additives must be found that increase the load-bearing capacity of the material. Conventional cement is currently still used here, but this pushes the ecological footprint of clay “back into the red zone”, Empa writes.

    Bernard, in collaboration with geologist Raphael Kuhn, has found a promising approach in magnesium oxide. In initial laboratory experiments with clay formulations, a compressive strength of up to 15 megapascals was achieved, Empa informs. Clay with added cement achieves up to 20 megapascals.

  • “Green” asphalt: a milestone towards climate-friendly road construction

    “Green” asphalt: a milestone towards climate-friendly road construction

    By 2037, Basel-Stadt aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions on cantonal territory to net zero. Conventional asphalt used in road construction produces greenhouse gases. The canton plans to carry out road renovations in a targeted manner and to use asphalt sparingly, in a degradable and sorted manner. In future, “green” asphalt with vegetable carbon will be used for renovations in order to reduce the CO2 footprint of road construction.

    IWB in Basel produces certified vegetable carbon from green waste in a plant under oxygen exclusion. The heat released is used for the district heating network. The remaining plant carbon contains the carbon component of the CO2 extracted during plant growth. This removes CO2 from the atmosphere in the long term. The Basel-Stadt Civil Engineering Office and the Institute for Construction Materials Technology ViaTec Basel AG have developed and tested asphalt mixtures with plant carbon. Vegetable carbon asphalt meets Swiss standards, is of high quality and durable. The costs are slightly higher than for conventional asphalt.

    Since 2022, the plant charcoal asphalt has been tested on a recycled construction material transfer site. Positive results show that one tonne of the mixture permanently binds 50 kilograms of CO2. The CO2 sequestration exceeds the release during production, transport and paving. The pavement is “CO2-negative”. The area-wide use of this technology is planned.

    The Basel-Stadt civil engineering office is working with regional pavement mixing plants to simplify the production of the mix. The civil engineering offices of Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt are exchanging experiences. The Construction and Transport Department of Basel-City is planning to use vegetable charcoal asphalt throughout the country for road rehabilitation. This could save around 1,250 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually and exceed the amount of CO2 produced by road construction by 450 tonnes.

  • Raiffeisen has bad news

    Raiffeisen has bad news

    The increase in rents in Switzerland is likely to continue to gain momentum. The increases following the hike in the reference interest rate at the beginning of June will take effect at the beginning of October. But that was just the beginning, according to a study by Raiffeisen on Thursday.

    There is “fire in the roof” for rents, the real estate experts write. The next increases in the reference interest rate are already in sight. “The reference interest rate is expected to rise to 1.75 per cent in December. This would mean that the majority of Swiss tenants would be threatened with another rent increase on 1 April 2024. According to the interest rate scenario, a further increase would then only be possible at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025.

    Two-thirds affected in second round
    While in the current round of increases, it is estimated that just under half of all tenants are potentially affected, after the second reference interest rate increase, there should be potential for increases in around two-thirds of all tenancies, it continues.

    And the increases will be clearly above the planned 3 per cent. The landlords also pass on part of the accumulated inflation to the tenants and claim the general cost increases. An exact forecast is fraught with great uncertainty in the absence of experience with such a situation. But the experts expect that in the course of the next year, with the second increase in the reference interest rate, the rent increase throughout Switzerland is likely to climb to 8 per cent at times.

    But it is not only the increases that are driving rents. The prerequisite for landlords being able to push them through at all is above all the continued high demand and the scarce supply. “The demand for rental flats continues to increase strongly in rapid steps due to dynamically growing immigration,” the study states.

    Recordnetimmigration
    The experts believe it is possible that net immigration this year will even break the previous recordbalance of2008. “By May 2023, the net migration of the foreign resident population in Switzerland was a quarter higher than in the comparable period of the previous year.” And this does not include the Ukrainian refugees in the country, who are often supported by the municipalities in their search for housing on the open market.

    In addition, there are other effects, such as a high number of new households or the influence of the trend towards home offices. This increases the demands on the housing situation.

    No improvement in supply in sight
    The rental housing market is increasingly drying up. Vacancy rates are low, especially in urban centres, and asking rents are rising.

    There are hardly any signs of supply-side relief of the housing shortage. Although the number of building applications submitted for flats has at least stabilised in recent quarters, the urgently needed construction offensive is still a long time coming. “The thin project pipeline is far from sufficient to satisfy the current strong additional demand for housing.

    Subsidies for housing construction or individual subsidies
    In this context, the Raiffeisen experts also take a critical look at the demands for stronger subsidies for non-profit housing construction. This also costs a lot of money, they say, and needy tenants do not always live in municipal or cooperative housing. According to the authors of the study, about half of the residents of cooperative flats have such a high income that they do not need the subsidies.

    The strong reduction in the price of these flats leads to certain false incentives. Households that benefit from these low rents have little interest in leaving this flat later, even if their living conditions change. Raiffeisen writes that the question is whether subject-specific support – i.e. direct support for households in need – would not ultimately achieve more desirable results.

  • Sika wants to grow in the American mining sector

    Sika wants to grow in the American mining sector

    Sika is acquiring Thiessen Team USA, based in Elko in the US state of Nevada. With this acquisition, the Zug-based building materials manufacturer intends to grow in the American mining sector, according to a media release.

    Thiessen Team USA specialises in shotcrete and mortar solutions for the mining sector and operates two factories near large mines in the western USA. Important raw materials for the production of batteries for electric vehicles are also extracted there. Sika expects demand for these raw materials to rise due to increasing investment in electromobility.

    Furthermore, Sika also sees great potential for its own solutions due to the growing demands on the sustainability of mining. The Sika technology for the production of cement-free concrete is highlighted. It is already being used for shaft filling in the world’s largest iron ore mine in Sweden and is now to be introduced in the USA.

    “The acquisition of Thiessen supports our expansion in the exciting mining business in the US and gives Sika a greater presence in this sector throughout the Americas,” said Christoph Ganz, regional director Americas at Sika. In addition, the acquisition will “offer significant cross-selling potential”, the statement said.

  • Sika opens new plant in Eastern India

    Sika opens new plant in Eastern India

    Sika is commissioning a new plant in Kharagpur in eastern India. There, the globally active Zug-based specialty chemicals company intends to increase its production and supply capacity for eastern India, according to a media release. This is Sika’s twelfth manufacturing plant in India. Sika has been active in the Indian market for 40 years.

    The new factory is located in an industrial park with good infrastructure links and has state-of-the-art production facilities as well as offices, laboratories, storage and logistics areas. Mortar products, concrete admixtures and setting accelerators for shotcrete are manufactured there for customers in the West Bengal region with a population of more than 100 million.

    “India is a growth market for Sika with enormous potential,” Mike Campion, Regional Head Asia/Pacific, is quoted as saying in the media release. The world’s most populous country shows strong industrialisation and urbanisation trends. Sika intends to benefit from this by concentrating on large infrastructure and construction projects in the country’s ten largest metropolitan regions. “With the new plant in Kharagpur, we can efficiently serve upcoming large projects in the east and northeast, including the capital Kolkata.” Kolkata is the capital of the state of West Bengal.

    The construction sector in India is reportedly projected to grow by 6.5 per cent this year. Next year, it is expected to grow by 6.4 per cent. In addition, the central government is particularly promoting “the expansion of transport and logistics infrastructure on rail and road, with the aim of driving industrialisation in the country and increasing manufacturing capacities”.

  • Holcim and Norman Foster Foundation build sustainable refugee accommodation

    Holcim and Norman Foster Foundation build sustainable refugee accommodation

    Zug-based building materials manufacturer Holcim and the Madrid-based Norman Foster Foundation are teaming up on an architectural project called Essential Homes. A prototype of the houses will be on display in original size at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale from 17 May, according to a media release. This is already the second cooperation for both partners.

    The Norman Foster Foundation designed the Essential Homes using building materials from Holcim. The low-carbon ECOPact concrete and the water-permeable Hydromedia concrete were used. Thermal and acoustic insulation is provided by Elevate panels and Airium foam from the building materials manufacturer.

    Overall, Essential Homes distributed communities are expected to provide up to 20 years of safety, comfort and weather resistance. “At Holcim, we want sustainable buildings to be accessible to all, improving living standards while creating a net-zero future,” Jan Jenisch, CEO at Holcim, is quoted as saying in the media release. It was therefore natural to agree to the cooperation when the founder of the foundation and British architect, Baron Norman Foster, and his team approached Holcim.

    This is already the second joint project for the Norman Foster Foundation and Holcim at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In the first collaboration, they jointly developed a hangar for drones that distribute medical supplies in Africa.

    The prototype of the Essential Homes will be installed in the Marinaressa Gardens in Venice. A complementary exhibition will be on display at Palazzo Mora.

  • Sika opens a branch in Ghana

    Sika opens a branch in Ghana

    The Sika Group founds a new national company in the West African state of Ghana. This increases the number of branches of the Zug-based building materials group on the African continent to 18, according to a press release .

    So far, Sika has served its customers in Ghana from neighboring countries. In view of the expected economic growth of 4 percent this year as well as the announced government economic stimulus programs, it is now worthwhile for Sika to invest in its own national subsidiary. This allows the company to produce locally, offer direct technical support and contribute to the country's economic growth.

    “Due to the rapid increase in population in the cities and metropolitan regions of Ghana and other African countries, the demand for infrastructure projects is also growing rapidly. We therefore see great potential for Sika in the medium and long term ”, Ivo Schädler, regional manager for the economic area Europe, Middle East and Africa, is quoted in the media release.

  • Holcim achieves record profit

    Holcim achieves record profit

    Holcim was able to grow strongly in the third quarter of the current year, according to a press release . Net sales rose by 12.9 percent to 7.29 billion Swiss francs. Recurring operating profit (EBIT) rose 6.2 percent to 1.53 billion Swiss francs, setting a new record.

    Holcim achieved strong growth in the North America region, for example. There, net sales rose in the third quarter by 27 percent to 2.3 billion francs. In the Middle East and Africa region, net sales rose by 8.5 percent to 653 million Swiss francs. In Latin America it rose by 8.4 percent to 675 million Swiss francs. Net sales in Europe climbed 8.4 percent to 2.15 billion, while those in the Asia-Pacific region rose 4.7 percent to 1.4 billion Swiss francs.

    Holcim assumes that the dynamic growth will continue in all regions. Firestone Building Products, the acquisition closed in late March, has net sales expected to grow double-digit in 2021.

    "The strategic reorganization of our portfolio is gaining momentum, with the divestment of our business in Brazil, the announcement of nine add-on acquisitions so far this year and the expansion of our Firestone GacoFlex range from Mexico to Colombia and Ecuador," said CEO Jan Jenisch in the Quote message.

  • LafargeHolcim is on course for recovery

    LafargeHolcim is on course for recovery

    According to a release from LafargeHolcim , the Zug-based building materials group generated total sales of CHF 23.14 billion in the 2020 financial year. In a year-on-year comparison, this corresponds to a decrease of 13.4 percent. The recurring operating profit at EBIT level was 3.68 billion Swiss francs, 10.4 percent below the previous year's figure. Consolidated profit fell by 7.5 percent compared to 2019 to 1.90 billion Swiss francs.

    "2020 was an extraordinary year for everyone, which we have not yet experienced in this form", Jan Jenisch is quoted in the communication. According to the CEO, LafargeHolcim has proven its resilience during the crisis. In the fourth quarter of 2020 the company "returned to the growth path". Specifically, sales and recurring operating profit increased by 1.5 and 14.1 percent on a comparable basis compared to the previous year.

    For the current year, LafargeHolcim is aiming for a growth in recurring operating income of at least 7 percent on a comparable basis. The takeover of the American manufacturer of roof systems and building envelopes, Firestone Building Products , which was announced in January, should contribute to this. As part of the acquisition, LafargeHolcim is creating a new position for global management of the Solutions & Products segment. She will be taken over by the current CEO of US Cement, Jamie Gentoso.

    In order to streamline the group organization, LafargeHolcim is also merging the regions Europe and the Middle East and Africa into one region EMEA, is further explained in the press release. The current head of Middle East and Africa, Miljan Gutovic, will take over the management of EMEA. The previous head of Europe, Marcel Cobuz, has decided to leave the group, writes LafargeHolcim.

  • Siloxene offers "miracle material" for the chemical industry

    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.

  • LafargeHolcim intensifies efforts to achieve climate goals

    LafargeHolcim intensifies efforts to achieve climate goals

    As the first globally active building materials group, LafargeHolcim has committed itself to scientifically sound goals for reducing its CO2 footprint, explains the Zug-based cement giant in a press release . Specifically, LafargeHolcim will participate in the Science-Based Targets Initiative ( SBTi ) campaign. Its aim is to motivate companies to set scientifically sound, measurable objectives with which the climate target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius can be met.

    As part of the campaign, LafargeHolcim will reduce CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious building materials to 475 kilograms, the company explains in the press release. Furthermore, the Zug-based building materials group wants to increase the use of low-carbon and CO2-neutral building materials. In addition, the company's footprint is to be reduced by increasing the reuse and recycling of waste and by-products. Overall, LafargeHolcim aims to reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 emissions from purchased electricity by more than 20 percent by 2030 compared to 2018.

    "As the world's largest cement manufacturer, we are playing a key role in overcoming the challenges of today's climate crisis," said Magali Anderson, Chief Sustainability Officer of LafargeHolcim, quoted in the press release. "On our way to becoming a 'net-zero' company, we are not only part of the solution, but we also support our customers in achieving their carbon reduction goals."