immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: immobilien

  • Dormakaba is a practice partner in EU research on building management

    Dormakaba is a practice partner in EU research on building management

    The European Union is funding the openDBL (Digital Building Logbook) research project to improve building management. A total of 13 partners from eight European countries are involved, according to a media release. The only partner from practice is the Rümlang-based company dormakaba, which specialises in access management for buildings. The other partners are research institutes, administrations and companies from the IT sector.

    The initiative will streamline building maintenance, improve data accessibility and promote sustainable practices, according to the release. The researchers have already held their second working meeting. It took place on 18 and 19 July at dormakaba’s headquarters in Ruemlang. “With our expertise and innovative solutions, we will help pave the way for standardised approaches and the revolutionisation of building operations,” dormakaba project coordinator Kai Oberste-Ufer is quoted as saying.

    The project, which has a budget of 4.5 million euros, aims to transform the management and retrieval of building data by developing a new type of digital logbook, according to the statement. This will serve as a central platform to store and manage information, including construction details, maintenance records and operational data such as air quality. The logbook will be equipped with open interfaces.

    The Europe-wide pilot tests of the 13 partners from Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Spain are coordinated by the research and technology organisation CETMA.

  • Energiedienst Group grows profitably

    Energiedienst Group grows profitably

    Energiedienst Holding AG generated operating income of CHF 973 million in the first half of 2023. In a year-on-year comparison, this corresponds to growth of around 30 per cent, the Swiss-German public limited company informs in a statement. Positive sales development and increased electricity prices are cited there as the background for the positive development.

    At 81.6 million euros, the operating result at EBIT level was close to the previous year’s figure. In the first half of 2022, the company had recorded a positive valuation effect from the personnel provision in the amount of 48 million euros here. Adjusted for this effect, an increase of 34.3 million euros to 77.3 million euros was realised, writes the Energiedienst Group. The net profit of 68.7 million euros was 16.8 million euros lower than in the previous year. For the year as a whole, the company expects an adjusted EBIT of around 100 million euros.

    All of the Group’s business areas contributed to the increase in turnover and adjusted operating profit. In the Customer-Oriented Energy Solutions segment, the contribution to EBIT was 1.4 million euros higher than in the previous year at 3.4 million. The end customer business of photovoltaics in Switzerland proved to be the main growth driver here.

    In the largest business division, Renewable Generation Infrastructure, the contribution to EBIT increased from CHF 21.4 million to CHF 65.4 million. Here, the Group attributes the good development to an overall improvement in electricity production from hydropower and the increased marketing level of generation.

  • Heating renovations boost Meier Tobler’s business

    Heating renovations boost Meier Tobler’s business

    Meier Tobler can look back on a good half-year, according to a media release. The Schwerzenbach-based company, which specialises in air-conditioning technology, increased its turnover by 7 per cent to 276.4 million Swiss francs compared to the previous year. Net profit rose by 38.7 per cent to around 16 million Swiss francs.

    The “essential basis” for the growth was reportedly the continuing momentum in heating renovations. At the same time, sales of heat pumps also increased in the double-digit percentage range. Business with air conditioning systems improved only slightly compared to the previous year. Here Meier Tobler benefited mainly from large projects such as the delivery of two absorption chillers with 3.4 megawatts each for the Shoppi Tivoli in Spreitenbach AG.

    Furthermore, Meier Tobler was able to put its new service centre in Oberbuchsiten SO into operation in the first half of the year. Among other things, automated high-bay and small parts warehouses or autonomous mobile robots are in use in the newly built centre. According to Meier Tobler, operations are being ramped up continuously.

  • Holcim looks back on an excellent half year

    Holcim looks back on an excellent half year

    Holcim generated sales of CHF 13.07 billion in the first half of 2023, the globally active Zug-based building materials group informed in a statement. This corresponds to a year-on-year decline of 11.0 percent. On an organic basis, growth of 7.4 percent was achieved, Holcim writes.

    Holcim reported a recurring operating result at EBIT level of CHF 2.04 billion for the reporting period. In the same period of the previous year, the figure was CHF 2.17 billion. The organic growth is put at 13.4 percent in the statement. The margin on operating profit increased by 0.8 percentage points year-on-year to 15.6 per cent. In the second quarter of 2023, a margin of 21.1 per cent was realised. Earnings per share increased by 15.3 per cent year-on-year to a record 2.19 Swiss francs. The company describes the first-half results as “outstanding”.

    “We are on track to achieve industry-leading margins in the 2023 financial year,” Jan Jenisch, Holcim’s chairman and CEO, was quoted as saying in the statement. “This confirms Holcim’s strong position in all markets where our leading sustainable construction solutions and brands deliver above-average profitability and growth.”

    In the half year under review, Holcim invested CHF 1.8 billion in 18 acquisitions. In addition, the company continued its expansion in the North American market, the statement said. According to it, Holcim has already been awarded more than 70 infrastructure projects in the US for the period 2023 to 2026.

  • Canton of Zurich initiates further promotion of mountain regions and wine-growing areas

    Canton of Zurich initiates further promotion of mountain regions and wine-growing areas

    The Canton of Zurich wants to further promote the Zurich mountain region and the wine country within the framework of the federal government’s New Regional Policy, informs the Cantonal Office for Landscape and Nature in a statement. A corresponding implementation programme focuses on sustainable tourism, the marketing of regional products and the promotion of innovation by SMEs. A total of 6.2 million Swiss francs are to be spent on this between 2024 and 2027.

    The Zurich cantonal government has already approved an amount of around 3.3 million Swiss francs. Further funding of CHF 2.4 million is being requested from the federal government. The remaining funds will be provided by the cantons of Thurgau and St.Gallen and the municipalities in the two regions. For the implementation of the projects, the Canton of Zurich is working together with the Zürioberland location promotion agency and ProWeinland. Corresponding service agreements are to be concluded “as soon as the federal government has approved the programme”, according to the statement.

    To promote sustainable tourism, the canton wants to position the mountain region and the wine country even more strongly as an excursion and local recreation area. In the marketing of regional products, it is also planned to explore “in the sense of the circular economy” “how material cycles can be closed in the regions”.

    SMEs in the Zurich mountain region already have access to innovation promotion, coaching and networking through a supracantonal programme. SMEs in Weinland should also be able to take advantage of these funding opportunities from 2028. The Office for Landscape and Nature explains that the Weinland is working on the corresponding basics.

  • Canton Zurich identifies untapped potential for solar power

    Canton Zurich identifies untapped potential for solar power

    Falling prices for solar installations have fuelled the construction of new photovoltaic systems in the canton of Zurich, as an analysis by the cantonal statistics office shows. According to this, there were at least 12,600 active photovoltaic systems in the canton at the end of 2021. Almost all of them were installed after 2010, according to the data. They produced about 0.3 terawatt hours of solar electricity per year, which is roughly equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

    Despite the increase in installations, the analysis finds that there is still a great deal of untapped potential for solar power. About half of all Zurich systems are installed on single-family homes. There is still a need to catch up with multi-family houses and buildings that are not used for residential purposes. The latter also offer space for larger systems with a higher installed capacity.

    The analysis identifies further potential in new buildings. When the new cantonal energy law comes into force in September 2022, all new buildings will have to contribute to covering their electricity demand. It can therefore be assumed that new systems will be installed in the coming years.

    The Canton of Zurich wants to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 – or by 2050 at the latest. Accordingly, according to its own information, it attaches great importance to the use of the existing potential for renewable electricity production. ce/ssp

  • Vrbn studios offers 3D content in new online shop

    Vrbn studios offers 3D content in new online shop

    Vrbn studios now operates an online shop, according to a media release. The vrbn business unit specialises in consistent and high-quality architectural 3D models and 3D environments. This 3D content is now available in the online shop. According to vrbn CTO Matt Buehler, the new production is “a technological milestone that makes it possible to create believable, photorealistic cityscapes in a way that has never been possible before”.

    According to a media release, the shop now offers “full-PBR, 3D urban environments and richly detailed 3D buildings (most also with three material variants) of various architectural typologies”. The content from vrbn studios is reportedly designed for quality and consistency, and can be easily used in large 3D environments for cost-conscious productions. Applications range from game cinematics to VFX (film & TV), XR and advertising to scientific simulations such as for autonomous driving.

    “Tackling hidden costs in content sold on 3D marketplaces is one of the most important aspects of our value proposition,” vrbn CEO Chris Buhler is quoted as saying. “We often find that the cost of correcting cheap content is massively underestimated when calculating production costs.” This, he says, has a strong impact on other project budgets. “We see that our buildings and environments are a quick and easy way to create believable film-quality 3D environments, especially for small to medium-sized creative studios.”

  • Nüssli builds Austria’s pavilion at Expo 2025

    Nüssli builds Austria’s pavilion at Expo 2025

    According to a press release, Nüssli, the event and construction services provider based in the St.Gallen-Lake Constance area, has once again been awarded the general contract for the construction of the Austrian pavilion for an international world exhibition, this time for the Expo in Osaka, Japan. It will take place from 13 April to 13 October 2025. The architectural design of the Austrian pavilion and the general theme were created by BWM Designers & Architects.

    Visitors to the Austrian pavilion will be able to experience an exhibition entitled Compose the Future on an area of 270 square metres. With music as the supporting medium, the pavilion is intended to lead from the past into the future, according to a statement by the traditional company. The central element is a “spiral sculpture rising spectacularly into the air”. The interior of the building is divided into three rooms. They are dedicated to the thematic complexes of relationship, human being and idea.

    “We are delighted to be realising the pavilion for Austria for the sixth time,” Andy Böckli, CEO of Nüssli, is quoted as saying. “The project has thus almost become a tradition and has regularly allowed us to act as a unifying element for innovation since 2005.” As Nüssli also shows in a video, the company is contributing its 23 years of experience in building country pavilions for world exhibitions.

  • Urbanistica calls for a return to urban planning

    Urbanistica calls for a return to urban planning

    Urban planning has been forgotten with the emergence of individual mobility, Urbanistica writes in a statement. The new association for good urban planning wants to revive the discipline of urban planning. According to Urbanistica, this is the only way to sustainably fulfil the mandate of densification of inner settlement development defined in the Spatial Planning Act and to create sufficient affordable living space.

    The association has launched a manifesto to initiate a discourse on urban planning and urban development. In it, urban sprawl and housing shortage are primarily described as a consequence of failed spatial planning. They are to be countered by urban planning and urban development, especially in the agglomerations. “Good urban planning leads to less traffic, more efficient land use, attractive public spaces, an improved urban climate and social mixing,” states Thesis 3 of the Manifesto.

    Urban planning is defined as “a central task of the public sector”. Proven planning teams” should generate solutions and impulses for urban development in competitive procedures. According to Urbanistica, this could be financed through existing taxes, levies and subsidy programmes.

  • Project partners present alpine solar project ScuolSolar

    Project partners present alpine solar project ScuolSolar

    The project partners for the alpine photovoltaic system in the Scuol Motta Naluns ski area want to take advantage of the opportunities arising from the Solar Express initiated by the federal government. For this reason, the municipality of Scuol and its civic community, together with EE Energia Eng iadina and Engadiner Kraftwerke AG from Zernez, are presenting their plans for the area surrounding these ski area facilities, more precisely in the Salaniva area. The public information event took place on 25 July.

    The plant is to be used in particular for the production of renewable winter electricity. According to a media release, existing infrastructure will be used to a large extent for the transmission of the energy. Grazing on the land will continue to be possible.

    The project partners have developed their plan within the framework of a project planning company in which all parties have a one-third share. According to the information provided, this shareholding and participation relationship will also apply to the further planning steps. Ultimately, ScuolSolar AG is to be formed. After the necessary approval of the population, the partners want to further develop “this important pioneering project for the Lower Engadine” with experts, then implement and finally operate it.

  • Holzbauer Strüby designs roundabout at new traffic junction

    Holzbauer Strüby designs roundabout at new traffic junction

    The timber construction company Strüby, based in Seewen, has successfully completed the design of two roundabouts in its home municipality, according to its media release. Construction work for the H8 full connection on Steinerstrasse had begun at the end of November 2022 on behalf of the cantonal civil engineering office. The new traffic junction was recently ceremoniously opened after 18 years of planning.

    According to the information provided, the wooden structures installed on the two roundabouts are symbolic reminders of basic carpentry virtues. On one, the so-called Schwyz roundabout, the elements of a carpenter’s knot were set up separately. This perfect wooden connection is also found in the coats of arms of the municipality and the canton. It consists of a total of six friction-locked construction elements in the form of squared timbers of the same size but cut differently. The pavement of the Schwyz roundabout resembles the traditional cobblestones of Schwyz’s main square.

    In the second, the so-called Mythen roundabout in the direction of Steinen, the wooden elements are joined together in a cross shape. The sculpture is not only related to the Steinerstrasse and H8 crossroads, but also symbolically to the summit cross on the Gross Mythen. Like its namesake, the surface of the Mythen roundabout is made of local limestone. The signal yellow outline of both roundabouts is intended as a reminder of the many hiking trail signs in the region.

  • Neustark inaugurates its largest CO2 storage facility

    Neustark inaugurates its largest CO2 storage facility

    Neustark, a pioneer in the permanent removal of carbon from the atmosphere, is launching its largest ever facility for storing CO2 in demolition concrete. It has been built in Biberist on the demolition site of a paper mill and was planned together with the two demolition recycling and concrete production companies Alluvia AG and Vigier Beton, according to a media release. The two companies operate the facility.

    The Bern-based company, which was spun out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in 2019, is tackling the world’s largest waste stream with its technology: Neustark has developed a technology and a value chain that transforms demolition concrete into a carbon sink.

    To do this, the company works with biogas plants to capture CO2 there. It is then transported to nearby storage facilities where the CO2 is injected into the granules of demolition concrete. This triggers a mineralisation process. In the process, the CO2 is converted into limestone and thus permanently bound to the granulate. Recyclers can reuse the granulate enriched in this way according to the usual process.

    “Neustark was the first company to demonstrate in practice that permanent CO2 storage through mineralisation in concrete demolition makes economic and ecological sense,” founder and co-CEO Johannes Tiefenthaler is quoted as saying. In its first months of operation, Neustark says it has already permanently removed more than 300 tonnes of CO2. The goal is to reach at least 1 million by 2030. Further plants are currently being built in Germany, Austria and France. Clients include UBS, Microsoft and Verdane.

  • Schlieren concludes planning contract for new retirement centre

    Schlieren concludes planning contract for new retirement centre

    In March, Schlierem’s voters approved a loan of 44,317,000 Swiss francs for the construction of the retirement centre Wohnen am Stadtpark. The new building in the middle of the city is to replace the Sandbühl retirement centre. Now the city council has awarded Liechti Graf Zumsteg Architekten from Brugg AG the contract for the corresponding architectural work, the Schlieremer city administration informs in its current city council news. The volume of the planning contract is 3.7 million Swiss francs.

    Wohnen am Stadtpark is designed as a building complex with contemporary and affordable flats for older people. The concept by Liechti Graf Zumsteg Architekten envisages a two-storey base with concrete elements housing the restaurant and nursing rooms. Four upper floors for the flats for the elderly will be built in timber. According to the city administration’s information on the project, the new building will “meet the requirements of a healthy and ecological construction method according to Minergie-P ECO and be certified accordingly”. The completion of the new retirement centre is planned for 2026.

  • SBV erwartet das Zinserhöhung ein Prozent Umsatz jährlich kostet

    SBV erwartet das Zinserhöhung ein Prozent Umsatz jährlich kostet

    Am 22. Juni 2023 hat die Schweizerische Nationalbank (SNB) den Leitzins auf 1.75 Prozent erhöht. Damit nicht genug, die SNB dürfte den Zins im Laufe des Jahres weiter erhöhen, weil sich die Inflation hartnäckiger hält als bisher angenommen. Die Inflation wird in der nächsten Zeit etwa von den steigenden Wohnungsmietpreisen und höheren Stromkosten getrieben. Sowohl im 2023, aber auch in den nächsten beiden Jahren dürfte die Inflation gemäss der SNB-​eigenen Prognose bei etwas über 2 Prozent liegen, was über dem Zielkorridor der SNB liegt.

    Mittels fünf Schritten sind die Zinsen von -0.75 auf nun 1.75 Prozent gestiegen. Weitere Erhöhungen bis Jahresende sind absehbar. Da sich die Schweizer Konjunktur dieses Jahr abkühlt und die Wirtschaft nur noch schwach wächst, darf die SNB jedoch nicht über das eigentliche Ziel hinausschiessen. Daher sei an dieser Stelle davon ausgegangen, dass der Zins bis zum Jahresende noch zwei Mal um jeweils 0.25 Prozentpunkte angehoben wird. Es wird ausserdem angenommen, dass ab 2024 keine weiteren Schritte folgen, der Zins also mittelfristig bei 2.25 Prozent stabil bleibt.

    Bis zu 1.4% tieferes Umsatzwachstum im Jahr
    Ein Rechenmodell des Schweizerischen Baumeisterverbands SBV zeigt, wie stark ein Zinsanstieg die Bautätigkeit negativ beeinflusst. Die Beeinträchtigung dehnt sich langsam und über die Zeit aus. In den ersten beiden Jahren wird das Umsatzwachstum am stärksten beeinträchtigt, aber selbst im fünften Jahr nach den Zinserhöhungen sind noch leichte, negative Auswirkungen spürbar. Die Aussagen beschreiben, wie sich der Umsatz entwickelt im Vergleich zu einer Welt, wenn die Zinsen nicht gestiegen wären.

    In den nächsten fünf Jahren dürfte der Umsatz im Bauhauptgewerbe deswegen kumuliert um 4.65% langsamer wachsen als wenn die Zinsen nicht gestiegen wären. Die grössten realen Umsatzeinbussen sind in den Jahren 2024 (-1.39%) und 2025 (-1.22%) zu erwarten.

    Positive Gegenkräfte könnten Umsatz wachsen lassen
    Die anhaltend starke Zuwanderung, der Nachholbedarf im Tiefbau sowie die Unterstützungsgelder für klimafreundliche Umbauten sind Faktoren, welche den Einbussen durch die Zinsen entgegenstehen und zumindest mittelfristig den Umsatz doch noch positiv wachsen lassen könnten.

    Insgesamt lässt sich also festhalten, dass sich die Leitzinserhöhungen auf den Geschäftsgang der Baufirmen auswirken, auch wenn die Auswirkungen insgesamt begrenzt sind. Das Bauhauptgewerbe bleibt unabhängig vom Zinsniveau eine wichtige Stütze der Schweizer Wirtschaft.

  • Holcim invests in venture capital fund Suffolk Technologies

    Holcim invests in venture capital fund Suffolk Technologies

    Zug-based building materials company Holcim is investing in venture capital fund Suffolk Technologies, according to a media release. The amount of the investment is not disclosed there. According to media reports, the amount is in the high single-digit millions.

    According to its own announcement, Suffolk Technologies now has 110 million dollars at its disposal to support innovative start-ups in the construction industry. Among other things, the focus will be on construction solutions that focus on sustainability or artificial intelligence.

    According to Holcim, the company will not only be involved as an investor. The company also wants to offer start-ups access to its technologies and expertise. Holcim’s goal is to drive the sustainable transformation of the industry, for example through low-carbon and circular construction.

    Suffolk Technologies is part of the American construction company Suffolk and is based in the US state of Massachusetts.

  • Prices for residential property rise despite interest rate turnaround

    Prices for residential property rise despite interest rate turnaround

    The market for owner-occupied residential property remains unaffected by the turnaround in interest rates, Raiffeisen Switzerland informs in a release on the current transaction price index of the cooperative banking group. According to the index, prices for single-family homes in the second quarter of 2023 were 1.3 per cent higher than in the previous quarter. A year-on-year increase of 6.1 per cent was observed. Prices for condominiums increased by 1.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 5.1 per cent year-on-year.

    “In the power struggle between thin supply and higher financing costs due to interest rates, the supply shortage currently continues to hold the upper hand,” Fredy Hasenmaile, chief economist at Raiffeisen Switzerland, is quoted as saying in the statement. The experts of the banking group have observed the greatest increase in central Switzerland. Here, prices for single-family homes increased by 18.8 per cent year-on-year. At the same time, prices for condominiums rose by 11.3 per cent. The smallest increases were recorded for single-family homes in Bern (+3.4 per cent) and northwestern Switzerland (+3.3 per cent). For condominiums, the smallest increase of 1.4 percent was observed in the Zurich region.

    Prices for single-family homes went up more in urban municipalities than in other types of municipalities, at 7.3 per cent. For condominiums, tourist communities led the way with a year-on-year increase of 7.9 per cent.

  • Wüest Partner acquires 100 per cent of the shares in QualiCasa AG

    Wüest Partner acquires 100 per cent of the shares in QualiCasa AG

    Since its foundation in 2001, QualiCasa has made a name for itself by providing decision-making bases for sustainable portfolio management. The development of digital solutions has also contributed significantly to its success. With a dedicated team of 26 specialists, QualiCasa supports its customers with services, particularly in the areas of construction quality management and asset controlling. The basis for this is a comprehensive data base, statistical models and a profound understanding of real estate lifecycle management

    The takeover is a natural continuation of the already long-standing and successful partnership. The “Visits” application, which is now widely used, was developed together. Both sides expect the future common path to provide mutual inspiration for the development of new solutions and the realisation of synergies

    Andreas Bleisch, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wüest Partner, explains: “Through the merger, our clients will benefit from an even broader range of services throughout the property life cycle. We are delighted that we have been able to attract a brand that is well established and highly regarded in the industry, as well as a great team, to our group.”

    Rolf Truninger, founder, CEO and board member of QualiCasa, says: “In Wüest Partner we have found the right strategic partner to join forces, implement innovations and pursue a common vision.”

    QualiCasa will continue to operate as a subsidiary under its own name. Rolf Truninger will remain active as CEO and accompany the integration.

  • Real Estate Meeting at the Schlierefäscht takes place on 7 September

    Real Estate Meeting at the Schlierefäscht takes place on 7 September

    Real Estate Meets Limmattal is the name of the new real estate meeting at the Schlierefäscht. According to a press release, it will take place on Thursday, 7 September, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the “Event Tent – Space for More in the Heart” of the Schlierefäscht. The target group is stakeholders from the Limmattal real estate sector Zurich-Aargau, including investors and students in the field of spatial planning, the Swiss Homeowners’ Association(HEV) and politicians, the announcement says.

    According to the programme, after a welcome by the Mayor of Schlierem, Markus Bärtschiger, a lecture by political geographer Michael Hermann of the sotomo research institute in Zurich is scheduled. He will speak on the topic: A region between valley and city – the somewhat different SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and is called Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Analysis in German. Afterwards, Dietikon’s mayor Roger Bachmann, Dieter Beeler, area manager of IG Silbern, and Dietikon’s building contractor Josef Wiederkehr will discuss development areas in Dietikon.

    In the invitation, Fabienne Hoelzel’s presentation is described as a highlight. The professor for design + urban planning at the State Academy of Fine Arts(abk) in Stuttgart will speak about “the crux of development”. Other presentations will also examine the energy transition and electromobility in the context of site development.

    The real estate meeting, which will be moderated by Mario Facchinetti of PropTechMarket, will conclude at 6.15 pm with an aperitif. Until the end of the event at 8 p.m., there will be an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas.

  • Federal government wants faster expansion of renewables

    Federal government wants faster expansion of renewables

    The Federal Council wants to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy production. To this end, the procedures for planning and building large-scale power plants are to be shortened, the Federal Council informs in a press release. At its meeting on 21 June, it passed a corresponding amendment to the Energy Act for the attention of parliament.

    According to the amendment, the cantons alone will now be responsible for a concentrated planning approval procedure for solar and wind energy plants of national interest. The Federal Council explains that this prevents a project from being divided into several stages that can be challenged individually. For hydroelectric power plants, the current tried and tested procedure is to be retained.

    The cantons are instructed to designate suitability areas for solar and wind energy plants in the structure plan. Such facilities of national interest will then no longer need a project-related basis in the cantonal structure plan. The protection of landscape, biotopes, forest, cultivated land and crop rotation areas is to be taken into account when designating the areas.

    In addition, the Federal Council wants to shorten the appeal process in connection with the planning and construction of solar, wind and hydropower plants. In future, only one appeal to the highest cantonal court will be possible at cantonal level. The group of persons entitled to appeal will be limited to the cantons and municipalities where the plants are located and to organisations active throughout Switzerland, such as WWF or Pro Natura.

    With regard to the expansion of the electricity grid, the Federal Council’s plans foresee a waiver of the definition of a planning area. Instead, the planning corridor is to be defined directly in the sectoral planning.

  • Zimmerin on Tour is a guest at Strabag

    Zimmerin on Tour is a guest at Strabag

    Under the motto Zimmerin on Tour (Carpenter on Tour), Lara Zwiefelhofer will be travelling throughout Switzerland as a career ambassador from April to November. From 3 to 7 July, she will visit the timber construction department of Strabag AG in Lindau, according to a media release. There she will work on various projects. And on Tuesday afternoon, 4 July, she will inform secondary school students at the Grafstal school in Lindau during a tour of the company.

    Interested young people can get a taste of “wood construction air” and prove their craftsmanship. The visit is aimed at young people from the region who would like to gain an insight into the profession of carpentry, according to a statement from Schlieren-based Strabag. “We are not only looking forward to Lara, but also to the visit of the secondary school students, so that we can introduce them to a profession with a future,” Billy Rytz, commercial group manager for timber construction at Strabag, is quoted as saying.

    25-year-old Lara Zwiefelhofer from Liechtenstein is the new face of Holzbau Schweiz‘s career marketing campaign. She completed her training as a carpenter three years ago. Until the end of November, she will visit various timber construction companies every week and give short presentations about her craft and the advantages of dual training, according to the press release. She is also making informational visits to upper school classes.

    Regarding the job description and training, the Strabag press release states that a carpenter builds, renovates and refurbishes wooden structures indoors and outdoors. The training lasts four years. Learners learn the theoretical basics at vocational school, while the practical training takes place in a recognised timber construction company.

  • FRZ Airport Region Zurich invites to the 9th Real Estate Summit

    FRZ Airport Region Zurich invites to the 9th Real Estate Summit

    The Economic and Location Promotion FRZ Airport Region Zurich, based in Glattbrugg, invites you to the 9th Real Estate Summit in Dübendorf. On 4 July, speakers from the construction and real estate industry will deal with new forms of cooperation, sustainability, energy and mobility, according to a media release.

    Accordingly, Ursina Kubli, head of real estate analytics at the Zürcher Kantonalbank, will speak from 1.30 p.m. about the development from abundance to scarcity on the real estate market and how the demand for office space is shaping up in times of home office. Afterwards, Marco Faiss, co-founder at em2, will show new ways of cooperation in construction projects.

    Bernd Hofer, CEO of Freo Switzerland, and Sophie Stigliano, Director at Urban Standards, will address sustainable building and the question of climate-friendly mobility as an integral part in their presentation “Green Only Development and the Leverage of Neighbourhood Mobility”.

    After a coffee break and opportunities for networking, the second part of the programme continues at 4.30 pm. Here Hannes Pichler, Director of Real Estate at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich(ETH), will speak about integrated project management against the background of the circular economy and digitalisation.

    Jens-Uwe Meyer, management mastermind, book author and digital entrepreneur, will address the audience with the last paper of the day, “Reset! Strategies for the Decade of Radical Change”, he looks to the future. The evening will conclude with an aperitif and the opportunity to network.

    Admission to The Hall is from 11 am. Registration for participation is possible online.

  • Implenia again receives Gold status from EcoVadis

    Implenia again receives Gold status from EcoVadis

    Implenia has again been awarded Gold level certification by EcoVadis in 2023. This puts the Opfikon-based construction and real estate company in the top 5 per cent of all companies assessed by EcoVadis for sustainability worldwide for the second year in a row, Implenia explains in a statement.According to her, EcoVadis is the largest provider of sustainability rankings and has assessed more than 100,000 companies from over 175 countriesm worldwide for sustainability.

    “The renewed gold rating from EcoVadis confirms our commitment to sustainability,” Anita Eckardt is quoted as saying in the release. The Chair of Implenia’s Sustainability Committee is pleased to see her company among the industry leaders. “More and more public and private clients are attaching importance to a good EcoVadis rating when awarding projects,” explains Eckardt. “Especially in the areas of environment and labour and human rights, our standards, our Health & Safety processes and our Code of Conduct were again rated very well.” In the area of ethics, Implenia had improved further compared to the previous year through internal awareness-raising for compliance and transparent reporting.

    Implenia aims to achieve twelve sustainability targets it has set itself by 2025. According to its Sustainability Report 2022 published in April, the company is well on track to do so.

  • Cantonal location promotion launches platform for business model innovations

    Cantonal location promotion launches platform for business model innovations

    The Canton of Aargau Economic Development Agency offers companies in the canton support in developing resource-saving innovations and products. For this purpose, it has launched the platform for business model innovations. The range of examples, tools and checklists available there can be used by companies free of charge after registration, the location promotion agency informs in a statement.

    The platform and services were developed by the Institute for Corporate Management at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland(FHNW) and further developed in cooperation with the Canton of Aargau Location Promotion. The FHNW experts also offer interested companies webinars and workshops via the platform. The kick-off will be on 26 June with a webinar on the topic of resource-conserving business models: a source of long-term success. Registrations for this and already a number of other webinars are open online.

    The promotion of resource-saving innovations is a focus of the programme Aargau 2030: Strengthening the residential and business location, explains the location promotion agency. The programme is part of the 2021-2030 development model drawn up by the cantonal government of Aargau.

  • BKW wins technology partner for digital electricity metering

    BKW wins technology partner for digital electricity metering

    BKW Energie AG is getting support for the conversion of its meter technology from the metering technology supplier Kamstrup, with its Swiss headquarters in Glattbrugg, and from the Cham-based companies Ensor and Semax. Together with the project partners now presented, the energy supplier wants to introduce more than 400,000 electronic meters in the grid area by 2028, according to a media release.

    Legislation requires the installation of the new meters as part of the Energy Strategy 2050. For this forward-looking infrastructure project, BKW is counting on the expertise of the technology partners selected by tender. In future, data encryption and data collection will be based on secure cloud technology from Kamstrup. BKW is purchasing high-quality smart meters from Ensor and Semax, which are designed to meet the requirements of industry.

    According to BKW, the digital meter technology allows consumption to be measured every quarter of an hour and data to be transmitted directly to the energy supplier. Customers get a more detailed insight into their electricity consumption, it says. The communication company Sunrise will take over the transmission of the data. According to the press release, Hansen is responsible for data management.

  • ABB acquires German smart home specialist Eve

    ABB acquires German smart home specialist Eve

    ABB has acquired Eve Systems GmbH. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1999, the specialist in products for a smart home is based in Munich and has subsidiaries in Europe and the US. It employs a total of around 50 people.

    With this acquisition, ABB becomes a leader in Matter and Thread, the new standard for smart home connectivity, according to a media release. The wireless protocol is supported by all major technology companies.

    It said Eve’s complementary product range, which is tailored to the retrofit market, will allow ABB to deliver solutions for safe, smart and energy-efficient buildings faster. ABB said the acquisition comes at a time when demand for smart home technology is increasing in response to growing consumer interest in energy efficiency and as regulators look to incentivise retrofitting of existing buildings. After all, they account for almost 40 per cent of global carbon emissions.

  • Mettmenstetten receives the Energy City Gold Award

    Mettmenstetten receives the Energy City Gold Award

    Mettmenstetten is the first municipality in the Affoltern district to be awarded the title of Energy City Gold. According to a report in the “Anzeiger aus dem Berzirk Affoltern”, the Zurich government councillor and Green Party building director Martin Neukom presented the certification at the Energy Day in Mettmenstetten to Céline Lingua, president of the Knonau-Maschwanden-Mettmenstetten secondary school, Melanie Vollenweider, president of the Mettmenstetten primary school, and Marcel Eicher, municipal councillor in Mettmenstetten.

    According to the report, the village municipality only started with energy policy measures at a late stage. The first certification by the Energy City Association was in 2014, but since then Mettmenstetten has “sprinted in terms of energy policy”, Bruno Bébié, member of the board and former energy commissioner of the city of Zurich, is quoted in the media report.

    In the meantime, the municipality is ranked eleventh in the cantonal energy city ranking. “This testifies to energy policy commitment,” Bébié continued.

    The primary and secondary schools played a major role in the certification. The Knonau-Maschwanden-Mettmenstetten secondary school, for example, is now energy self-sufficient. The Mättmi secondary school, which includes an indoor swimming pool, has been generating heat and electricity in an integrated combined heat and power plant for a few years. This is operated with bio-gas. This hybrid box solution reduces CO2 emissions by 100 per cent compared to the previous oil-fired heating system, according to the blog of the FDP Kanton Zürich.

    The Energiestadt Gold certification of the supporting association Energiestadt is the highest award for cities and municipalities that “are continuously committed to the efficient use of energy, renewable energies and climate protection and meet particularly high requirements”, it says on the website of the supporting association. For the gold label, they must use at least 75 per cent of their respective scope for action.

  • ETH fire simulator tests timber construction elements

    ETH fire simulator tests timber construction elements

    Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich have developed a new type of fire simulator. According to a media release, the oven, designed by the Institute of Structural Analysis and Design at the Department of Construction, can simulate a wide variety of fire situations. The knowledge gained from the tests should help to expand the use of wood as a sustainable building material.

    The stove is intended to support sustainable timber construction, which is becoming increasingly attractive in Switzerland. Since 2015, multi-storey buildings have also been legally permissible. High-rise buildings made of wood with a height of up to 108 metres are being planned. Fire protection is all the more important here.

    The stove is a metal cube reinforced with steel beams with a combustion chamber that is one metre high, one metre wide and just under 1.7 metres long. It is fired by ten gas burners, half of which are mounted on each of the two long sides. They can heat the oven to over 1400 degrees. Several cameras outside the combustion chamber record the tests and the composition of the fire gases can also be analysed.

    “We can precisely adjust the temperature in the kiln and likewise the oxygen content,” Andrea Frangi, professor of wood construction and head of the simulation project, is quoted as saying in the press release. “The kiln allows us to simulate different fire courses and test their effect on the wood structures.” Wooden components can be loaded with up to 50 tonnes during the test. The development costs for the simulator amounted to 2.5 million Swiss francs.

  • Rahel Kindermann Leuthard is the new head of FRZ Zurich Airport Region

    Rahel Kindermann Leuthard is the new head of FRZ Zurich Airport Region

    The FRZ Zurich Airport Region has a new managing director: At the 11th general meeting, Rahel Kindermann Leuthard took over the operational management of the FRZ, which is both a location developer and a business network. She thus succeeds Christoph Lang, who will continue to work as brand ambassador for FRZ.

    As Kindermann Leuthard emphasised in her speech, according to a FRZ statement, the organisation with its approximately 1,000 decision-makers from around 800 companies and 14 cities and municipalities is “a great success story”. At its helm, she does not want to reinvent the wheel, but merely “adjust the compass”. She has named the Digital Hub, ecological and social sustainability, age and gender diversity, promotion of young talent and labour shortage, mobility and leadership as her main topics.

    Kindermann Leuthard most recently headed the Coaching and Education Department at the City of Zurich with 70 employees. Before that, she worked for Flughafen Zürich AG and the airline Swiss, among others.

    The 187 voters approved all agenda items of the FRZ. The budget was also approved. in 2022, the FRZ reported a 10 per cent growth in membership. Total income increased by 21 per cent in the year under review. Membership fees from cities and municipalities grew by 6.8 per cent, those from companies by 10.3 per cent. Income from sponsoring, annual partnerships and member events increased strongly by 46.6 per cent.

  • AEW Energie produces solar power on the Isemeyer site

    AEW Energie produces solar power on the Isemeyer site

    AEW Energie AG has installed and commissioned a 13,000 square metre solar plant with 5000 modules in Rheinfelden. It is located on the roof of the Isemeyer site and is one of the largest in the energy provider’s portfolio.

    According to a press release, it generates about 1.9 gigawatt hours of solar power annually. About a third of this is taken directly on site by the leased companies. The rest is fed into the AEW grid.

    The plant is operated on a contracting model: it belongs to AEW, which pays for the installation and maintenance costs. In return for providing the space, Soluma AG as the owner will receive a contractually agreed fixed price from AEW for the electricity drawn from the roof for the next 30 years. There are no additional costs for the tenants either. Before the installation of the 5,000 solar panels, the roof of the industrial halls was additionally insulated at AEW’s expense, thus improving the energy efficiency of the building envelope.

    Last but not least, the environment also benefits, says AEW. “Because the amount of this installation alone could supply 420 four-person households with electricity for an entire year.”

  • New training centre to be built of wood

    New training centre to be built of wood

    The general planner and architect team consisting of Chur-based atelier tsu GmbH and Zurich-based studiospazio/bersa inc. has won the open project competition of the Canton of Graubünden for the replacement of the Civil Defence Training Centre(ZAC) in Meiersboda on the municipal territory of Churwalden, the cantonal registry office informs in a statement. The winning project, ZicZAC, envisages a sustainable three-storey wooden building. ZicZAC was unanimously selected by the jury from a total of six proposals submitted.

    “This project fulfils all the desired requirements to a very high degree and convinces with its holistic and future-oriented approach to sustainable building,” Cantonal Councillor Carmelia Maissen, jury chairwoman and head of the Cantonal Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Mobility, is quoted as saying in the statement. The jury was particularly impressed by the clear basic structure of the building, the natural building materials and simple construction principles, the low-tech building services concept and the high flexibility in the use of the premises. Already in the project tender, emphasis was placed on recyclability, optimised microclimate, solar power production and energy storage.

    Once the project has been selected, the corresponding building bill is to be discussed by the Grand Council in April 2024. If approved, it will be up to the Graubünden electorate in September next year. Construction could begin in spring 2025.