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Tag: Empa Thun

  • New construction project bolsters the research hub in the Bernese Oberland

    New construction project bolsters the research hub in the Bernese Oberland

    The cost of constructing the new Empa building on plot B5 of the Thun Nord site amounts to 47 million Swiss francs. According to a press release, a financing solution has now been put forward. The City of Thun states in a press release that the project will be financed through a new site development company to be established, in which four partners will hold stakes.

    Under the proposal, the City of Thun will provide a mortgage-backed, interest-free loan of 16 million Swiss francs. It will also provide a guarantee for a loan for which the Canton of Bern has issued a letter of intent under the New Regional Policy for 10 million Swiss francs. Empa is investing CHF 16 million in laboratories and the technical centre. Halter AG, as the development partner for the site, is contributing CHF 5 million. The site development company is to be transferred to investors once the project is completed.

    The Thun City Council will decide on the current proposal at its meeting on 30 April. Planning permission for the first phase on construction site B5 has already been granted. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2027, with completion expected by the end of 2029.

    “The City of Thun has a keen interest in the realisation of the new building,” Mayor Raphael Lanz is quoted as saying in the press release. “Empa secures long-term, highly skilled jobs in research and development, generates regional value creation and strengthens Thun as a technology and innovation hub within the Canton of Bern.”

    Empa has had a research site in Thun since 1994. Here, it conducts research in the fields of high technology and materials.

    A new district is taking shape in Thun Nord. Alongside the first concrete project on the B5 construction site, the planned Thun Nord S-Bahn station plays a central role. The total potential of the Thun Nord site encompasses around 6,500 jobs.

  • 47 million for a new heart in the Bernese Oberland

    47 million for a new heart in the Bernese Oberland

    The overall project will cost 47 million francs. Financing is being provided by a newly established site development company in which four partners are participating. The city of Thun is granting a mortgage-backed, interest-free loan of 16 million francs and is also guaranteeing a cantonal loan of 10 million francs as part of the new regional policy. Empa itself is investing CHF 16 million in laboratories and a technical center, while Halter AG is contributing CHF 5 million as a development partner. Once the project is completed, the company will be transferred to investors.

    Building permit is available
    The way was not clear. Objections delayed the process by around a year. The building permit for construction site B5 in Thun North has now been granted, with construction set to begin in spring 2027 and completion scheduled for the end of 2029. The city parliament will decide on the loan on 30 April 2026. A clear yes is needed to keep to the schedule.

    Empa in Thun since 1994
    The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology has been conducting research in the field of high technology and materials in Thun since 1994. The new building is not a relocation, but an expansion. Mayor Raphael Lanz puts it in a nutshell. Empa secures highly qualified jobs in research and development in the long term, generates regional added value and strengthens Thun as a location for technology and innovation in the Canton of Bern.

    From barracks site to urban quarter
    Thun North is the largest urban development project in the Bernese Oberland. On the 60-hectare site, research companies, businesses and housing are replacing military use. in the long term, 6,500 jobs are to be created; around 2,300 are already located there today. A new Thun Nord S-Bahn stop is included in the federal parliament’s 2035 expansion plan and will connect the district directly to long-distance transport.

    Halter as a lever
    It is no coincidence that Halter AG is contributing CHF 5 million to the project as a development partner for construction site B5. The company won the project competition in 2022 together with Bauart Architekten and Balliana Schubert Landschaftsarchitekten. The composition shows the concept. Private capital and the public sector are pulling together, and the location is sharing the risk because it is thinking about the return.

    What counts now
    April 30 is the date that decides everything. If the city parliament approves the loan, planning gets underway. If the loan fails, the entire timetable is thrown into disarray. This would be a setback for Thun North and a location issue for Empa. The city has already paid its share of the bill. Now it’s up to parliament.