immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Bauwesen

  • Edelweiss windows are now producing in Münchwilen

    Edelweiss windows are now producing in Münchwilen

    The new production hall of Edelweiss Fenster AG in Münchwilen has been in operation since January 2021. According to a press release, it houses one of the most modern and fastest production facilities for plastic windows in Switzerland. Their energy concept enables an environmentally and climate-friendly production process.

    Contrary to the trend of relocating production to low-wage countries, the company in Switzerland has invested in this 100-meter-long and 25-meter-wide production hall. “Thanks to the latest technology and a clear strategy, this new building will help us to strengthen our position as a quality window manufacturer,” CEO Walter Koller is quoted on the window manufacturer's website from the St.GallenBodenseeArea. Despite the high level of automation in the new system, six new jobs have been created.

    "Plastic windows are in great demand in Switzerland," Koller is quoted in the press release. “And many customers want a window that is produced here. With our new building we can serve our customers and resellers even better and more individually. "

  • Thomas Hasler is to lead Sika

    Thomas Hasler is to lead Sika

    According to a statement from Sika , the globally active Zug-based building materials group was able to post new record values for operating profit and consolidated profit in the 2020 financial year. Specifically, the operating result at EBIT level rose by 7.1 percent year-on-year to 1.13 billion Swiss francs. At the same time, consolidated profit increased by 8.8 percent to 825.1 million francs. Sales grew by 3.4 percent in local currencies to 7.88 billion Swiss francs.

    "In 2020, the distribution business and our refurbishment business in particular proved to be particularly resistant to crises," Paul Schuler is quoted in the press release. In the opinion of the Sika CEO, the group will benefit from the growing demand for environmentally friendly products in the future. "A large part of our sales is already generated with technologies that provide customers, the environment and society with sustainable benefits," explains Schuler. For the current year, Sika is aiming for sales growth of between 6 and 8 percent in local currencies.

    Schuler will hand over his position to Thomas Hasler at the beginning of May. The current head of Global Business and Industry at Sika has been with the Zug-based building materials group for 32 years, the press release explains. Hasler joined Sika as a research chemist for industrial adhesives and in 2011 took over as head of automotive worldwide. The designated CEO has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2014. The current CEO, Paul Schuler, will be proposed for election to the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting in April.

  • Oertli Instrumente builds at the company headquarters

    Oertli Instrumente builds at the company headquarters

    Oertli Instrumente , the Rheintaler expert for ophthalmic surgical equipment and consumables, is building a three-story building at its company headquarters. According to a press release , the owners Christoph and Thomas Bosshard, together with mayor Bruno Seelos and Björn Lutze from the executing Bänziger Lutze Architektur AG, broke ground on Thursday.

    On a total of 11,000 square meters, the new building is intended to strengthen the infrastructure for the future development of the company from the St.GallenBodenseeArea. "The construction of the Lean Factory we set the foundation for the further development of value creation and growth at the site Berneck," it says on the website of the company.

    The eastern of the two new structures is intended to expand the clean room and the production areas for surgical equipment and instruments. The western one is designed for "efficient in-house logistics". In addition, an underground car park, training and break rooms are planned as well as a roof terrace. Both parts of the building will be connected to one another via an inner courtyard and various access zones. The new building should be fully occupied in 2023.

  • Schlieren drives the upgrading of Kesslerplatz

    Schlieren drives the upgrading of Kesslerplatz

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

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

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

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

  • Controversial quarries slow down cement production

    Controversial quarries slow down cement production

    Around 5 million tons of cement are used annually in construction and infrastructure projects in Switzerland. In 2019, 86 percent of demand was met by Swiss cement plants. The raw materials lime and marl, which are used in the cement industry, are available in Switzerland.

    However, a report that the Federal Council has taken note of assumes that cement production in Switzerland is likely to decline in the coming years. The reason for this is resistance to the expansion or reopening of quarries. If the requested mining expansion projects for the raw materials lime and marl set out in the cantonal structure plans are not approved, Switzerland's supply of domestic cement will fall to 64 percent by 2024, according to the report.

    The report therefore proposes that raw material deposits that are important for the production of cement should also be considered from a national supply point of view. Currently, the authority for the approval of dismantling projects lies with the municipalities and cantons. The aim is to create a national overview of the raw material deposits and to evaluate it from a “raw material geological point of view”. This would give authorities and raw material producers a basis when planning mining projects.

    In its communication, the Federal Council also emphasizes that the Federal Office for the Environment ( FOEN ) is currently working with research and industry to find new solutions to replace the primary raw materials lime and marl with secondary raw materials. So far, however, this has only been possible to a very limited extent. However, technologies are also in the development phase that will replace cement in concrete or even lead to cement-free concrete.

  • Builders' Association examines Switzerland of the future

    Builders' Association examines Switzerland of the future

    Last year, the Swiss Master Builders Association ( SBV ) carried out a representative survey on the expectations of the Swiss up to 2040. According to the results, the majority of the country’s residents are in favor of densifying urban space, the SBV informed in a statement on the survey. At the same time, the need for more spacious and sustainable living space is registered.

    For the SBV, the construction industry can make a decisive contribution to the implementation of these ideas. Already today, every dismantled apartment is being replaced by two new ones with a total of three times the building area, writes the association. At the same time, however, the SBV is calling for regulatory obstacles to be removed when renovating the building stock. Specifically, the communication mentions the simplification of building permit processes and the acceleration of complaint procedures. The SBV also sees a need for action in noise protection and homeland security.

    The SBV supports the CO2 Act with its building program. When it is implemented, new replacement buildings should be promoted more intensively, as these represent the most efficient solution in terms of energy technology, writes the association. For peripheral regions and mountain areas, the SBV proposes creating framework conditions, technology and transport infrastructure that can attract working residents or keep them in the region.

  • 4B and Somfy are cooperating on intelligent home control

    4B and Somfy are cooperating on intelligent home control

    4B and Somfy have entered into a strategic partnership in the development of intelligent home controls, the two partner companies inform in a joint communication . With the Somfy TaHOme-Box, house and apartment owners should be able to create the conditions for the digitization of the building during construction or renovation, it says there. Joint products are launched under the Smart Home Ready by Somfy label.

    "Intelligent windows and facades are proof that we have been combining tradition, Swiss quality and innovation for over 100 years and that we are developing from a pure product to a solution provider", says Jean-Marc Devaud, CEO of Lucerne window manufacturer 4B , quoted in the communication. "With the Smart Home Ready cooperation, 4B can offer quality windows in combination with high-quality, radio-controlled privacy and sun protection as a smart, expandable package," explains Hannes Naef, Managing Director of Somfy Switzerland, in the press release.

    An intelligently controllable, motorized sliding door from 4B is to be brought onto the market this summer. The partners explain in the press release that the door can be integrated into intelligent building systems via both io radio and wired controls.

  • LafargeHolcim finds partners for CO2 capture

    LafargeHolcim finds partners for CO2 capture

    The building materials group LafargeHolcim and the Texan Schlumberger New Energy want to find a solution for capturing and storing CO2 using the example of two LafargeHolcim cement plants. Using Schlumberger's CO2 sequestration technologies, the two companies plan to develop a concept for large-scale industrial use. The companies will provide information about this in a press release of the same name.

    Both are already active in this field. LafargeHolcim claims that it is currently testing more than 20 capture projects in Europe and North America. The group wants to identify the most promising, highly scalable projects. Schlumberger New Energy is working with leading companies in a number of strategic sectors to demonstrate potential solutions in a variety of projects.

    "Our partnership with Schlumberger, the world's leading technology provider for the global energy industry, will bring new advances in storage," said Magali Anderson, sustainability officer at LafargeHolcim. "These should then be replicated on a large scale at our locations."

  • VZ Depotbank builds headquarters in the Tech Cluster Zug

    VZ Depotbank builds headquarters in the Tech Cluster Zug

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

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

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

  • Sika purchases in Russia

    Sika purchases in Russia

    Sika is buying up the Russian manufacturer of mortar products Kreps LLC, informs the Zug-based building materials group in a press release . The company, with annual sales of around 15 million francs, specializes in the production of tile adhesives, plasters and floor leveling compounds. The notification does not provide any information about the purchase price.

    The new addition is intended to strengthen Sika's position in the region. "Kreps offers a broad product portfolio and an expanded geographic presence for mortar in the Russian Federation," Ivo Schädler, Regional Manager EMEA at Sika, is quoted in the press release. "Together with the improved access to the sales channel, we get a platform to further expand and strengthen our position in this market." The new acquisition has production sites in Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, both regions in which Sika was previously not represented with its own locations.

    With the takeover, a training center operated by Kreps and “well-equipped” production laboratories will also be owned by Sika, the press release explains. According to her, the transaction has yet to be approved by the local antitrust authorities.

  • ETH students create innovative bamboo pavilion

    ETH students create innovative bamboo pavilion

    Students in the master’s course in Advanced Studies in Architecture and Digital Fabrication at ETH have created a bamboo pavilion weighing just 200 kilograms and 40 square meters, the ETH informs in a message . For the design of the innovative pavilion, its creators developed their own digital design tools. In addition to the renewable raw material bamboo, recyclable plastic was also used in the production. All connecting pieces and shading elements were created using 3D printing.

    "The building system developed for this project aims to reduce the logistical effort of building and at the same time to use the advantages of digital production for a more sustainable building culture", Marirena Kladeftira, doctoral student at the Professorship of Digital Building Technologies at ETH, is quoted in the communication . Despite their complicated geometry and their high tolerance requirements, the tailor-made connection pieces can be 3D printed anywhere in the world due to their small size, explains the ETH. The shading elements made of recyclable plastic and Lycra textile can also be produced using 3D printing.

    “This construction method could therefore be used wherever bamboo is available and should be built inexpensively,” writes the ETH. In addition, the modular structure allows the building to be assembled and dismantled quickly. The students' bamboo pavilion was set up in Zurich within 48 hours and dismantled again in the same period of time.

  • UZH gets new center for dentistry

    UZH gets new center for dentistry

    The jury has decided: According to a statement, the new Center for Dentistry (ZZM) at the University of Zurich is to be built according to the plans of the Boltshauser Architects / Drees & Sommer consortium. 46 teams had applied for the architectural competition, 15 had been admitted. Now the winning project “Light Rack” is being further developed under the direction of the UZH together with the building department. A preliminary project that is eligible for approval is to be submitted to the government and cantonal council by 2023.

    The five-storey new building will house the seven clinics and institutes of the ZZM. If everything goes as planned, the new building should be ready for occupancy in 2029. It will be located on what is now the children's hospital in Zurich (Kispi) in Hottingen. The Kispi is expected to move to a new building in Lengg in 2022. François Chapuis, Director of Real Estate and Operations at UZH, is quoted in the press release.

    The new ZZM building is designed as a hybrid structure made of wood and concrete. "The UZH deliberately relies on wooden hybrid buildings in order to improve the CO2 balance," said Chapuis in the press release. The planning provides for a planted inner courtyard and an atrium in the entrance area. The facades and roof are to be equipped with photovoltaic elements and the roof is to be planted with a variety of species. A large part of the energy consumption is to be covered with renewable energies.

  • Swiss and Germans advise on sustainable building

    Swiss and Germans advise on sustainable building

    The Swiss-German exchange on sustainable building 2021 will take place from March 1st to 2nd. The online event aims to promote bilateral discussions on the topic and to provide information on experiences and examples of successful implementation. The aim is also to network possible cooperation partners from Switzerland and Germany.

    The strategy consulting firm Dreberis is organizing this event on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy . Your Swiss partners are the Network for Sustainable Building Switzerland and Building Digital Switzerland / buildingSmart Switzerland . The target group includes architecture and engineering offices as well as planners, construction companies and property managers. This online conference is also expressly aimed at users of digital solutions for optimizing business processes in the construction industry, as well as at everyone who advocates sustainable construction.

    Participation is free. Registrations are possible until February 24th. Appointments for individual cooperation discussions with German conference participants on the second day of the event can be arranged in advance. A list of German companies that would like to win cooperation partners in Switzerland can be found on the website of the cooperation days.

  • Adrian Amstutz is to become the top building material recycler

    Adrian Amstutz is to become the top building material recycler

    The board of directors of arv Baustoffrecycling Schweiz proposes Adrian Amstutz as new president to the general assembly. He justifies this in a press release with the experiences of Amstutz as the former owner of an architecture and construction management office, as mayor of Sigriswil BE and as SVP national and state council. Amstutz also chaired the central board of the ASTAG commercial vehicle association for twelve years.

    Amstutz is to succeed Thomas Merz. He resigned as president of the association in autumn after five years. Since then, Vice President Kurt Morgan has been running the President on an interim basis.

    The association was founded in 1990 and is based in Schlieren. He advocates the interests of recyclers of construction waste. The election of the new President is scheduled for the General Assembly on May 19.

  • Schneider Spannagel Architects is now called LUMO

    Schneider Spannagel Architects is now called LUMO

    The Schneider Spannagel architects' office in Döttingen has had a change in management to review its market presence. After the age-related resignation of a member of the management, the company's appearance was checked. The result was a complete redesign of the brand with a new name and a new, modern logo: LUMO Architekten AG . The down-to-earth architecture firm Schneider Spannagel became LUMO Architects, understood as a contemporary, agile studio.

    In amedia release from the advertising agency Megura AG in Baden, which was entrusted with the “total renovation of the brand presence”, it is said that the new name LUMO stands for “light, uncomplicated, modern, open”. That corresponds to the values and working methods of the office as well as the architectural style of the realized buildings.

    In addition to the new name and logo, including a new website, Megura also designed letterheads, signage and the like. The lightness and joy of experimentation of the new company, according to Megura, is evident in digital media: The reduced logo allows the distinctive four letters to move around the room, so that new combinations are created over and over again.

    LUMO Architects is staying at the old headquarters of the company, which was founded in 1973 and has been redesigned and expanded several times, in Poststrasse in Döttingen.

  • LafargeHolcim joins MIT's climate consortium

    LafargeHolcim joins MIT's climate consortium

    LafargeHolcim is a founding member of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium ( MCSC ). The construction company announced this in a press release . The School of Engineering at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched this alliance on Thursday. It consists of academic staff from across the institute and 13 influential industry leaders from various industries. LafargeHolcim represents the construction industry there.

    The aim of this association of executives from various industries is to accelerate the implementation of specific and large-scale scalable solutions to combat climate change. The MCSC wants to reduce costs and the barriers for the use of the best available technologies and processes, it says on its website . The aim is also to accelerate the decommissioning of CO2-intensive energy generation and material production plants, to direct investments where they are most effective and to quickly transfer the best implementations from one industry to the next.

    "I am committed to building a net zero future and driving innovative and sustainable building solutions that are beneficial for people and the planet," LafargeHolcim's CEO Jan Jenisch is quoted in the press release. “Given the urgency of today's climate crisis, no single organization can tackle it alone. That's why I'm proud to join the MIT alliance of like-minded industry leaders and academic partners to jointly advance our climate protection efforts. "

  • Poenina takes over Kälte 3000 AG

    Poenina takes over Kälte 3000 AG

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

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

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

  • Dietikon chooses architecture project for school expansion

    Dietikon chooses architecture project for school expansion

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

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

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

  • Implenia is building on the Empa campus in Dübendorf

    Implenia is building on the Empa campus in Dübendorf

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

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

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

  • Implenia and Hochtief are building tunnels in Hamburg

    Implenia and Hochtief are building tunnels in Hamburg

    Implenia and the Hochtief construction group will jointly build the 2.2-kilometer-long Altona noise protection tunnel. According to a press release from Implenia, the project on the A7 motorway in Hamburg has an order value of around 580 million euros. Allotment gardens as well as green spaces and parks are to be created on the cover of this tunnel. In addition, the two neighboring districts of Othmarschen and Bahrenfeld will be connected to each other again.

    The work between the A7 junctions Othmarschen and Volkspark is expected to begin in April 2021 and be completed by 2028. Implenia will manage the project commercially in a joint venture with Hochtief. Hochtief is the technical lead. Implenia's share of the total order volume is 35 percent.

    As Christian Späth, Head of the Civil Engineering Division at Implenia, explains, his company was able to identify numerous optimization options in the bidding process that has been running since 2019. “Among other things, we brought forward parts of the implementation planning and gradually incorporated the results from more than 30 coordination dates into the calculation. In this way we were able to significantly minimize the project risks for everyone involved. "

  • RAD offers new building modules for cancer centers

    RAD offers new building modules for cancer centers

    The portfolio of RAD Technology Medical Systems will be expanded to include three different building configurations for radiation therapy with linear accelerators (Linacs for short) in 2021. According to a media release, this should enable hospitals and cancer centers to set up stations with the latest models for electron and photon irradiation in less than a month.

    The modular design and the patented granulate shielding system of the Florida and Lugano-based company made it possible to assemble the bunker within just a few days. The modules allowed a variety of building configurations, from a temporary additional bunker for radiation therapy to a complete and permanent facility for radiation therapy.

    "We are excited to add this new radiation therapy station to our portfolio, which perfectly installs the latest generation of Linacs on the market," said Kenneth Wright, Vice President of Sales and Business Development. "In 2021 we will use this new type of bunker and cancer center in Europe and the USA for the first time."

  • Basel processes chemically contaminated building materials

    Basel processes chemically contaminated building materials

    Building materials from the Basel region should in future be processed and recycled in the local building material cycle. Baustoff Recycling Nordwestschweiz AG, a joint venture between Holcim Kies und Beton AG and Antag Recycling AG , founded in August 2020, wants to build a processing plant in the Birsfelden state mine. The former gravel pit is easily accessible by rail, road and the Rhine and is located next to the tunnel portal for the planned Rhine tunnel on the Basel eastern bypass.

    The plant in Birsfelden should also be able to process excavated material with the highest chemical pollution level. The processed gravel is then to be further processed in the neighboring concrete plant of Holcim Kies und Beton AG. A total of two thirds of the material should flow back into the building material cycle.

    The canton of Basel-Stadt surrenders part of its state mine under construction law for the plant, he writes in a message .

  • Sika invests in Cidra Concrete Systems

    Sika invests in Cidra Concrete Systems

    Sika is expanding its collaboration with Cidra Concrete Systems. According to a press release, the Zug-based construction chemicals company has signed an agreement to finance growth with equity capital. This agreement complements the global partnership that has existed since the beginning of 2019 with the North American expert for monitoring and information systems in concrete mixing vehicles. It was closed for the introduction of this data service in the USA and Canada.

    Cidra Concrete Systems, headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, manufactures high-precision on-board systems that measure concrete quality during transport from the concrete plant to the construction site. Concrete manufacturers can use a cloud-based data portal to call up information on concrete quality such as workability or air volume for every vehicle in their fleet in real time. Now this partnership between the two companies is to be extended to other countries. "We are pleased to be able to offer this offer worldwide thanks to Sika's position as market leader," said Cidra boss Scott Anderson.

    "With this IoT-based technology we can provide our customers in the concrete industry with new digital solutions", Phillippe Jost, Head Construction Sika, is quoted in the press release. “Optimizing the mix design of concrete” enables Sika customers “to improve the performance of their concrete and their profitability by reducing the number of rejected truck loads”.

  • 14Trees is building schools in Africa with 3D printing

    14Trees is building schools in Africa with 3D printing

    14Trees is using 3D printing on a large scale to build affordable residential and school buildings in Africa. Starting in Malawi, such buildings should be realized in record time in this way. The walls of the first school in Salima were printed in just 18 hours, according to a media release . In addition, the CO2 footprint is reduced by up to 70 percent through “optimized use of materials”.

    14Trees is a joint venture between the building materials group LafargeHolcim and the London-based impact investor CDC Group . "I am thrilled with the work our joint venture 14 Trees is doing," said Miljan Gutovic, Head of the Middle East and Africa region and member of the LafargeHolcim Executive Committee, quoted in the press release. "Starting in Malawi, we will use the technology throughout the region and already have projects in the pipeline for Kenya and Zimbabwe."

    Tenbite Ermias, Managing Director Africa of CDC, is convinced that “the broad application of the groundbreaking cutting-edge technology” of 14Trees enables “enormous development effects”. "This is a wonderful example of our investments in companies that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals."

    As the message goes on to say, UNICEF estimates that Malawi is short of 36,000 classrooms. With conventional technology, this would take 70 years. According to 14Trees, this gap could be closed in ten years with 3D printing. In addition, the local projects would create qualified jobs.

  • Obwalden companies help shape the supermarket of the future

    Obwalden companies help shape the supermarket of the future

    Tegut… gute Lebensmittel GmbH & Co. KG is a German subsidiary of the Migros retailer. The company currently operates primarily supermarkets that focus on organic products. Now it is also testing a new store concept. The new supermarket is open around the clock and has no cashiers. Customers can scan their items and pay by app or credit card. The store is monitored with several cameras and 3D sensors.

    For the design and construction of the first test shop in Fulda, tegut… gute Lebensmittel GmbH & Co. KG obtained specialist knowledge from Obwalden. The 50 square meter store was co-developed and realized by Neue Holzbau AG and HP Gasser AG , both from Lungern OW, according to a joint communication. Specifically, the two companies built the shop out of four elements. The finished shop was then delivered to Fulda by special transport. First and foremost, the companies rely on wood, invisible steel parts and the high-performance lanyard GSA.

    The label “Made in Lungern” has proven itself well in Germany, according to the announcement. Among other things, the first test shop won the 2020 Retail Innovation Prize. This is also thanks to the support of the Obwalden economic development agency.

  • Jaisli-Xamax is rebuilding the traditional Beyer company in Zurich

    Jaisli-Xamax is rebuilding the traditional Beyer company in Zurich

    The employee newspaper Brilli's News of Jaisli-Xamax AG in Dietikon took the renovation of the traditional Zurich company Beyer Uhren & Juwelen for its 260th anniversary as an opportunity for an interview with Managing Director René Beyer. Under the title “Time for something new”, Beyer reports on the good cooperation with the construction management from Palmieri and the team from Jaisli-Xamax responsible for all electrical aspects. This “well-rehearsed team” carried out an initial renovation nine years ago and has now completed the renovation for the company's anniversary in the summer.

    Beyer is quoted as saying: “This is not the first conversion with the Jaisli-Xamax AG team. Not only for renovations, but also for various maintenance work during the year, I can count on the reliable specialists in your company. ”What he appreciates about the cooperation is that he knows all of the specialists personally. At Jaisli-Xamax AG there is a family atmosphere and togetherness. "It is important to me to have a competent partner on board who also 'ieferet' and not just 'laferet'", Beyer continues.

    As to the motivation for the total renovation, Beyer says that he has to think about handing over the business to the next generation and therefore wanted to equip the watch and jewelery boutique with a special feel-good atmosphere. Beyer: "That may sound like a flat marketing strategy, but in the end it is really what we can offer customers in contrast to the numerous online providers."

  • Association for sustainable building is founded

    Association for sustainable building is founded

    The newly created Association for Sustainable Building Biological Building (VNBB) aims to make the construction industry more sustainable and climate-friendly. To this end, knowledge and skills are to be promoted and integrated into vocational training.

    As stated in a press release, the non-profit organization was initiated by Dr. Thea Rauch-Schwegler from the Baubioswiss Association over the past few years. Timber construction Switzerland , building envelope Switzerland , JardinSuisse , Lignum – Holzwirtschaft Schweiz and the Swiss Association of Painters and Plasterers have joined as founding members. Its new office in Wallisellen is also the seat of the VNBB. The management of the VNBB office is advertised. New club members and partners are expressly welcome.

    In 2019, the examination regulations for the advanced specialist examination for experts in healthy and sustainable building were recognized by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. In this way, according to the VNBB, “the gap in higher vocational training in the field of sustainable building can be closed”. The first preparatory course for the diploma will start in 2022. At the same time, professional associations have also recognized the importance of the topic and decided to tackle the issue of sustainability in vocational training together.

  • Matériaux Sabag prints concrete elements

    Matériaux Sabag prints concrete elements

    Matériaux Sabag is expanding its offer with a 3D printing solution for concrete elements. The company, based in Delémont, has been using a robot since the end of September that enables 3D printing using the concrete spraying process. The concrete elements can thus be tailor-made in the prefabrication. The solution allows the use of raw materials from local production, writes the company in a press release . In addition, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 30 percent. “In this way we will be able to accept urgent orders and react flexibly to customer requests so that we can meet the requirements of the construction sites,” Cédric Theubet, Operations Manager at Matériaux Sabag, is quoted in the press release.

    The Jura specialist for building materials is the first company in Switzerland to use this Mobbot solution. The start-up from Freiburg i.Ue. develops robot platforms for 3D concrete printing. His 3D printing of concrete parts means that cladding can be dispensed with and less manual work is required. Mobbot was founded in 2018 by Agnès Petit and today has eleven employees.

  • Algorithm provides information on building applications

    Algorithm provides information on building applications

    In Switzerland, the publication of planning applications is mandatory. According to smartconext , around 50,000 building applications are published every year. Many construction companies do their own research in order to win new customers. Due to the many different sources, the expenditure of time and money is disproportionately large.

    The Zug-based start-up makes building applications easily accessible to small construction companies with its platform that was launched in June. With technologies such as Robotic Process Automation, existing information on building applications can be automatically recorded from all possible sources. Thanks to the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the data is processed.

    Smartconext is now expanding its platform with a new interface solution. According to a media release , this enables a cross-platform exchange of information. For example, a heat pump manufacturer who is interested in new builds and conversions is only shown building applications that are suitable for him. What is unique is that all information is available in real time.

    "Our mission is to drive the digitization of the construction industry forward," says Dominik Mahn, CEO and founder of smartconext. “We develop solutions that simplify processes, save costs and increase success,” he adds. According to Mahn, the company passes the resulting cost advantage on to customers.

  • 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."