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  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Government is slowing down traffic planning for Baden

    Government is slowing down traffic planning for Baden

    The new overall traffic concept for the Baden-Wettingen area has to go into an additional planning loop. According to a press release , the Aargau government council decided to leave the concept at the stage of the interim result. In doing so, he is responding to reservations that were expressed in the public hearing.

    In the hearing, for example, it was demanded that the Baden high bridge could also be used by cars in the future. This would also eliminate the need for a new Limmat bridge between Baden and Wettingen. In the Siggenthal a higher traffic load is feared. With the additional planning loop, the continuation of the Limmattalbahn beyond Killwangen could also be included in the planning in the future.

    However, the government council makes an exception in the overall transport concept: the Velosteg between Neuenhof and Würenlos should already be specified in the structure plan. This could secure the federal funds for the project.

    The overall traffic concept for the Brugg-Windisch area, on the other hand, is to be specified in the structure plan. These include the center relief and the bike route.

  • Valuu triples the volume of brokered mortgages

    Valuu triples the volume of brokered mortgages

    Valuu was able to grow disproportionately in the second year of its existence. According to its own information, the Swiss comparison and conclusion platform for mortgages tripled the brokered mortgage volume in 2020 compared to the year it was founded. As stated in a press release , it currently has 12,000 users. That is twice as many as last year. Valuu puts the number of represented lenders at 29. They represent over 100 well-known Swiss banks, insurance companies and pension funds.

    “And that's just the beginning,” the press release continues: Valuu, a business unit of PostFinance , wants to become “the leading Swiss comparison and transaction platform” in the medium term. In the current year it is expanding its range to include additional services. "More and more people understand the opportunities a transparent comparison and digital mortgage conclusion offer – and how much money they can save with it," Valuu manager Thomas Jakob is quoted in the press release.

  • Switzerland is one of the most innovative countries in the world

    Switzerland is one of the most innovative countries in the world

    Switzerland ranks third worldwide in the current Bloomberg Innovation Index. This means that it has moved up one place compared to the previous year. Only South Korea and Singapore cut ahead of it. This makes Switzerland the most innovative country in Europe and overtakes Germany, which has fallen three places to fourth place compared to the previous year.

    A total of 60 countries are listed in the index. They are assessed on the basis of topics such as research and development, production capability and the concentration of listed high-tech companies. The respective countries can achieve a maximum of 100 points.

    Switzerland received an overall rating of 87.60 points this year. It did particularly well in the area of research and development. It ranks third for research intensity and fourth for concentration on researchers. Switzerland is also one of the top five countries in terms of manufacturing and value creation. She has some catching up to do with patents in particular.

  • Pandemic accelerates real estate trends

    Pandemic accelerates real estate trends

    Yonas Mulugeta, CEO of CSL Immobilien , sums up the findings from the current CSL Real Estate Market Report 2021 . According to a corresponding press release, this applies in particular to the office market. The vacancy rate for offices has reached a high: the available supply of commercial space has increased by 23 percent to 2.26 million square meters in the course of the past year. That is the highest value since 2014.

    At the same time, however, the demand for central locations in major centers such as Zurich increased. The authors of the report deduce from this that the home office is not the end of the office. Instead, office space would be used more as social meeting and collaboration places. Because "Location factors such as an urban environment with attractive lunch or leisure options or proximity to customers and industry meeting points have become more important as a result of the pandemic".

    The vacancy rate in the residential market has also reached a high. In the previous year, the Swiss average rose from 1.66 to 1.72 percent – a value that was last reached in 1988. Outside the major centers, high vacancy rates of over 2 or 3 percent are not uncommon in all of Switzerland. CSL expects vacancies to continue to rise and rents to fall in 2021. Residential property has benefited from the increased value of a beautiful home during the pandemic. Because of the increasing number of homeworkers, real estate in more peripheral locations would have found buyers more easily.

    For multi-asset investors in particular, real estate investments have become a replacement for bonds with negative interest rates. Returns in all real estate asset classes continued to decline.

  • New law should enable pilot projects for mobility pricing

    New law should enable pilot projects for mobility pricing

    Mobility pricing with different tariffs for peak and off-peak times could defuse traffic problems, explains the Federal Council in a communication . This was shown by a theoretical impact analysis for the canton of Zug, they said. The Federal Council therefore wants to have the process tested in practice.

    To this end, the Federal Council has drawn up a ten-year law that legally enables pilot projects on mobility pricing and lays the foundations for their financial support. This law will now be sent for consultation, informs the Federal Council in the communication.

    In the template, cantons and municipalities are given the opportunity to carry out pilot projects to influence mobility behavior in private and public transport. If the projects provide for a tax obligation, they must be approved by the canton. In addition, the responsible canton must obtain approval from the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications . Projects in which participation is voluntary can also be carried out by organizations, it says in the communication.

    As part of a request from the federal government last February, various cities and cantons had already expressed interest in a pilot project, the Federal Council informed in the message. For some of these projects, feasibility studies are now to be drawn up. When the new law comes into force, feasible projects could then be started.

  • s: stebler cooperates with innovative partners

    s: stebler cooperates with innovative partners

    The s: stebler company has already concluded three partnerships this year. This emerges from media releases from the manufacturer of letterbox systems, depot boxes and roof windows from Oensingen.

    Firstly, s: stebler is working with the start-up LivingPackets . The company, founded in 2016 in Nantes, France, has developed an intelligent delivery box that can be digitally locked. Among other things, the box is equipped with a GPS and Internet connection, which means that the delivery can be monitored at any time. In addition, the box is reusable, which reduces the waste generated in online retail. Thanks to the partnership, parcels in the intelligent boxes are delivered directly to multifunctional parcel stations called s: yourbox from s: stebler. The customer will be notified as soon as the delivery arrives.

    Second, s: stebler works with the Zurich start-up Allthings . Allthings has developed a tenant platform, thanks to which all interactions between tenants, property owners and other service providers can be recorded. Together with the letterbox and parcel compartment systems from s: stebler, “total solutions” are now to be created which “significantly increase tenant loyalty and efficiency,” it says.

    Thirdly, s: stebler cooperates with Bird Home Automation , a leading manufacturer of IP door stations. The aim is to integrate IP video door intercom systems from the Berlin company into letterboxes and letterbox systems from s: stebler. Building operators can manage the intelligent door intercom system remotely and integrate it into existing home automation systems.

  • Conflicting goals slow down the expansion of solar energy

    Conflicting goals slow down the expansion of solar energy

    The expansion of domestic solar energy on roofs and facades is currently not progressing fast enough to achieve Switzerland's climate and energy policy goals. Because there is little space in Switzerland for large photovoltaic systems in open spaces, solar energy must also be harvested outside of settlements, write the Swiss Association for Solar Energy, Swissolar , and the Swiss Energy Foundation ( SES ) in a media release of the same name.

    "The greatest potential lies in buildings", David Stickelberger, managing director of Swissolar, is quoted there. "According to sonnendach.ch, 10 percent more electricity per year could be produced on suitable roofs and facades than Switzerland currently consumes." However, in view of the urgent need for action, it is difficult to tap this potential in good time.

    That is why the two organizations, in cooperation with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ( ZHAW ), shed light on three areas outside of settlements where photovoltaic installations would be possible, but often cannot be implemented due to spatial planning obstacles: on noise barriers, in the agricultural zone and in the alpine area.

    These obstacles have to be removed, warns Felix Nipkow from the SES. That is why his foundation and Swissolar have commissioned the ZHAW to clarify conflicting goals with legal experts with regard to these three installation rooms and to identify solutions. All three reports were published by Dike Verlag . They can be downloaded from SES or ordered in printed form.

  • Hirslanden Klinik St. Anna is being renewed

    Hirslanden Klinik St. Anna is being renewed

    The Hirslanden Klinik St. Anna in Lucerne will start renovating its infrastructure in March. This emerges from a message from the clinic on LinkedIn. Initially, work is being carried out on an extension (wing G), which will be located in the area of today's inner courtyard between the car park and the clinic. Among other things, the Institute for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine will be located there.

    From 2023, as part of a second phase, the demolition of two parts of the building is to start, some of which date from the early days of the clinic. These parts of the building will be replaced by a new building (wing A +). This is to become the new heart of future clinic operations.

    The entire construction project should be completed in 2027. According to an article in the “Luzerner Zeitung”, Hirslanden is investing a total of more than 100 million francs in the renovation.

    "With the construction project we are building a bridge to the future," said clinic director Martin Nufer in the article in the "Luzerner Zeitung". The investment also makes it possible to close supply gaps. “In oncology, for example, thanks to the renovation, we can finally also offer radiotherapy, which requires special equipment and facilities. We simply didn't have enough space in today's building, ”says Nufer.

    The St. Anna Clinic in Lucerne was founded in 1911 by the St. Anna Sisters community and has been part of the Hirslanden Private Clinic Group since 2005.

  • Procimmo II goes public

    Procimmo II goes public

    The Procimmo SA is its Swiss Commercial Fund II (Procimmo II) in late March on the SIX Swiss Exchange shares listed, the asset manager of collective real estate investments informed in a release . Procimmo II was set up in 2014 for a limited group of investors. Since then, the fund, which mainly holds commercial, industrial and logistics properties, has achieved an average return of 7.4 percent, Procimmo reports.

    In addition, the fund has paid an annual dividend of at least 5 francs per unit over 100 francs, is further explained in the announcement. The fund currently comprises 33 properties in German-speaking Switzerland. The assets invested in Procimmo II amounted to CHF 563.4 million as of September 30th. On the corresponding reporting date in the previous year, it was 470.3 million francs.

    Before going public, Procimmo intends to carry out a further capital increase of around 60 million francs, the company informs in the announcement. The funds brought in are to be used to reduce the debt financing quota and to continue existing construction projects. In addition, Procimmo is examining additional investments in economically active regions outside the city centers.

  • Asking rents rise at the beginning of the year

    Asking rents rise at the beginning of the year

    The monthly rent index compiled by the digital real estate marketplace homegate.ch from TX Group in cooperation with Zürcher Kantonalbank closed at 115.4 points in January. Compared to the previous month, the prices for advertised rents have risen by an average of 0.17 percent, explains homegate.ch in a corresponding message . An increase in rental prices of 0.87 percent has been observed over the past twelve months.

    In a monthly comparison, homegate.ch shows different developments for the individual cantons. The strongest rise in asking rents in January, at 1.59 percent, was observed in the canton of Nidwalden. In the cantons of Appenzell-Innerhoden, Appenzell-Ausserhoden, Uri and Wallis, asking rents rose above average with values between 1.08 and 1.24 percent. Declines were measured in the cantons of Zurich, Neuchâtel and Jura with values between -0.57 percent and -0.10 percent.

    Homegate.ch also makes different developments in the cities. The largest increase was measured here in a monthly comparison of 2.01 percent in Lausanne. The analysts describe the development in Zurich as “noticeable”. Here rental prices fell by 1.00 percent in January compared to the previous month.

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

  • VolkerWessels invests in Parquery

    VolkerWessels invests in Parquery

    Parquery has completed a successful financing round, according to a message on LinkedIn. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ) was able to win the Dutch construction and plant engineering company VolkerWessels as an investor.

    Parquery has developed software that analyzes images from street cameras in real time. This enables drivers to find out, for example, whether there are free parking spaces in their vicinity. The platform can also be used, for example, to analyze the flow of traffic in cities. Overall, it helps build smart cities.

    With the fresh money, Parquery wants to strengthen its platform on the one hand in the area of intelligent parking. On the other hand, it is to be further developed for new solutions in the field of intelligent cities.

    Parquery has also been working with Hyrde , a subsidiary of VolkerWessels, for a number of years. Hyrde uses the Parquery solution, for example, for security applications at airports and for intelligent mobility projects in cities.

  • Drilling for the Ennetsee heating network begins

    Drilling for the Ennetsee heating network begins

    According to a press release from WWZ , the construction of the 6.5 kilometer long heat transport pipeline from Perlen to Rotkreuz is in the starting blocks. It is part of the Ennetsee heating network. A challenge of this construction phase is the trenchless crossing under the Reuss and the A14 motorway. To this end, WWZ is starting these days between the sports field of the Root LU sports club and the Rütilöli area in Inwil LU with two pilot drillings for protective plastic pipes. The official start of construction is at the end of March, beginning of April.

    The official start of construction of this heat transport pipeline from the Renergia waste incineration plant in Perlen to Rotkreuz is planned for this spring. The district heating pipes would then also be pulled into the protective pipes under the A14 motorway. After completion of the major project, the region should save around 12,000 tons of CO2 annually.

  • Visits to real estate with man or machine?

    Visits to real estate with man or machine?

    As mentioned in our last article, a variety of virtual viewing solutions offer a welcome alternative to physical on-site appointments, especially in times of pandemic. These range from static 3D tours, video tours and virtually realistic representations, which users can put themselves into with the help of VR glasses (virtual reality), to live broadcasts that are available at all times. We want to take a closer look at the latter in this article.

    In the case of live broadcasts , the objects to be viewed are displayed in real time compared to static videos, photos or 360 ° recordings. The greatest advantage of this is that, apart from a viewing appointment, there are no pre- or Post-processing is required. A fully autonomous, 24/7 available variant is the tour with a robot stationed in the property to be visited . This specially developed machine can be conveniently controlled through the object from anywhere in the world, including from home, using a standard Internet browser with the arrow keys on the keyboard. The visit can take place at your own discretion and regardless of the tours and perspectives that have been created. An integrated video conference solution also offers the opportunity to establish a dialogue between the parties during the tour.

    Another variant does not completely do without on-site personnel . While one party (marketer, landlord, owner, facility manager, etc.) is on site and ensures the live transmission via a mobile device (e.g. smartphone, tablet), interested parties can participate in the tour via web browser and with the Interact with the person on site. Due to the high degree of personalization, the automatic documentation of the transmission as well as the possible data exchange, this solution offers far more application possibilities than pure property inspections.

    Even with the current state of the art, digital viewing solutions offer a useful alternative to physical appointments on site. In some points, such as higher efficiency, lower costs and lower environmental impact, the advantages over physical tours even outweigh the advantages. Nevertheless, the solutions presented here do not “yet” succeed in transferring the sensation of a physical encounter with people in digital space. Accordingly, we come to the conclusion that there are valid arguments for tours with man and machine that need to be weighed up according to the situation. In our next article you can read how startups are working on virtual reality to make the aforementioned lack of sensation tangible in the digital world.

    Overview of visualization solutions at: https://proptechmarket.net/visualisierung

    The following table compares the advantages and disadvantages of the two survey approaches described.

    Source: Own illustration, PropTechMarket 2021

  • 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.

  • Masshardt takes over the management of the energy foundation

    Masshardt takes over the management of the energy foundation

    Beat Jans had headed the Swiss Energy Foundation, founded in 1976, since the end of 2015, SES informed in a press release . Now the long-standing SP National Council has been elected President of the Canton of Basel-Stadt. In order to avoid conflicts of interest, Jans is therefore stepping down as President of the Board of Trustees of the SES, explains the SES.

    The Board of Trustees has elected Nadine Masshardt to succeed Jans. The Bernese SP National Councilor will take up her new post after her maternity leave in mid-February, explains the SES. In the communication, the President-elect is described as "a competent energy and environmental expert as well as a highly respected and committed full-blooded politician". In addition, she is certified as having “valuable experience from the NGO world” from her involvement in the WWF Berne section.

    The Swiss Energy Foundation is committed to promoting a humane and environmentally friendly energy supply in Switzerland. Among other things, the SES advocates the rapid phase-out of fossil and nuclear energy and the rapid and considerate expansion of renewable energies. Under the leadership of Nadine Masshardt, the SES is "ideally equipped for the energy policy challenges of the coming years", says the press release.

  • 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. "

  • Wind energy project on the Chroobach is making progress

    Wind energy project on the Chroobach is making progress

    The Chroobach Windenergie project community consists of the two regional energy suppliers Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Schaffhausen AG ( EKS ) and SH POWER . Your goal is to exploit the potential for wind energy on the Chroobach. In total, it wants to produce 25 to 27 million kilowatt hours of renewable electricity there per year, according to a press release . That is roughly twice as much electricity as is currently used by the population of the upper part of the canton each year.

    In 2019, the federal government approved the cantonal structure plan for wind energy. With the establishment of the wind energy area on the Chroobach in the municipality of Hemishofen, he laid an important basis for the project. According to the information, the planning work has been successfully advanced since then. The next step is to apply for a partial revision of the land use planning to the municipality of Hemishofen. The project community is already in dialogue with the community to discuss the next planning steps.

    The project community also wants the local population to participate in the new project. It should be able to participate in the wind farm with a wind share. The project group intends to publish further details on this "shortly".

  • EKZ achieves good operating results with stable sales

    EKZ achieves good operating results with stable sales

    EKZ draws a positive balance for the 2019/20 financial year with stable sales, expansion of the production of renewable energy, especially in wind power, and an operating result that has enabled a profit distribution of CHF 41.3 million to the canton and municipalities for the first time. According to the press release, the operating result (EBIT) was CHF 61.3 million and the company's result, i.e. total income minus total expenses, was CHF 88.2 million.

    EKZ's electricity sales remained stable in the first half of 2020 despite the lockdown. The lower sales among traders and the closure of shopping centers have been compensated for by shifting to higher sales in home offices. The EKZ supplies around 315,000 households and businesses with renewable energy.

    The production capacities from renewable energy were expanded. The EKZ in Switzerland relies on the expansion of solar energy and domestic hydropower. The Dietikon river power plant was put back into operation. In Spain and Portugal the investment focus was on solar energy, in France and Germany on electricity production from wind power. With above-average wind conditions, 496 gigawatt hours of electricity were generated from wind energy, reports the EKZ.

    Other focal points of the shopping center were charging solutions for tenants, apartment or house owners as well as the prosumer area. These are electricity consumers who are producers themselves at the same time as their own solar systems.

    EKZ has been involved inPrimeo Energie AG since January 1st to work together in energy sales for energy supply companies and business customers.

  • Alain Baumgartner complements the management team at Zug Estates

    Alain Baumgartner complements the management team at Zug Estates

    Alain Baumgartner, MRICS, has been Head Real Estate Portfolio Management and member of the extended management team at Avobis Group AG in Zurich since October 2019. Before that, he worked for over 10 years as a portfolio manager at Swiss Life Asset Management AG, most recently as Head Portfolio Commercial / Centers and Deputy Head of Portfolio Management. Mr. Baumgartner holds a MAS Master's in Advanced Studies in Real Estate Management from the HWZ University of Applied Sciences in Zurich.

  • Swiss Energypark achieves record production

    Swiss Energypark achieves record production

    Last year, the Swiss Energypark achieved a production record for the generation of energy from wind power, hydropower and solar power. The amount of energy is stated in a press release as 127 gigawatt hours. In mathematical terms, this corresponds to the consumption of 28,200 households.

    The Swiss Energypark, founded in 2016 on the initiative of Bern-based BKW Energie AG and the cantons of Bern and Jura, produces electricity in the Juvent wind power plant, the Mont-Soleil solar power plant and the La Goule hydropower plant on the Doubs. The region, which corresponds to the supply area of La Goule, was able to cover 86 percent of its needs with local renewable energy from sustainable sources, according to the announcement. Such a quota is unique in Switzerland at this level.

    In the communication from Energypark and BKW it is pointed out that the supplied region is suitable as a test field for future developments in energy supply. Because the energy mix of wind power, hydropower and solar energy leads to the compensation of underproduction in one of the sectors. The stable high-pressure weather in 2020 increased solar power production, while the yield from hydropower decreased due to the temporary low water of the Doubs.

    The Juvent wind power plant generated almost 85 gigawatt hours in 2020, which is the highest value ever achieved at a location in Switzerland and corresponds to the consumption of around 18,900 households. The forecasts made during construction in 2016 were exceeded by 20 percent.

  • Landis + Gyr informs about new goals

    Landis + Gyr informs about new goals

    On the occasion of an investor's day on Wednesday, Landis + Gyr confirmed the previous outlook for the 2020/21 financial year ending at the end of March. According to its press release , the Zug-based company continues to expect net sales of between 1.3 and 1.4 billion dollars. In addition, it continues to expect an improved EBITDA margin in the second half of the year compared to the first.

    In the first half of the current fiscal year (to the end of September 2020) sales had dropped 27 percent to $ 623.5 million. Customers had suspended or slowed down the installation of meters due to the pandemic. But there have been no major cancellations. The resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Landis + Gyr's second largest UK market is "particularly worrying".

    Landis + Gyr has defined new medium-term goals for the period up to 2023. The company is aiming for "organic sales growth in the low single-digit range". In addition, it is committed to a “progressive” dividend development. The 2019-2022 share buyback program remains suspended. The partnership with Google will accelerate the transition to cloud-based services.

    In addition, Landis + Gyr announces the 100% acquisition of Rhebo , a German provider of cybersecurity solutions. On Monday, the company announced that it is by partnering with one of the largest energy suppliers Britain, EDF has secured a major contract. It stipulates that Landis + Gyr will deliver a further 650,000 of them by June 2025 after the first order of 500,000 intelligent electricity meters of the latest generation.

  • Ecocoach launches load management for charging stations

    Ecocoach launches load management for charging stations

    Ecocoach is now offering e-mobility load management, the technology company from Schwyz informs in a message. The ecoChargingCoach can manage charging stations regardless of their manufacturer, is explained further there. Real estate operators and companies can use the system to reduce the load on their network connections from charging stations and thus save costs.

    In the basic version, the ecoChargingCoach can manage up to ten AC charging stations, writes Ecocoach. In the future, the technology company wants to expand its e-mobility load management to include DC charging stations.

    "The ecoChargingCoach is a particularly future-proof and flexible energy management solution for charging stations", Benjamin Friedrich, Senior Business Area Developer at Ecocoach, is quoted in the press release. The system is compatible with various technologies and with the products of various other providers, explains Friedrich. As a result, the ecoChargingCoach is "universally applicable for residential, industrial and commercial buildings".

  • According to ENSI 2020, nuclear facilities were safe

    According to ENSI 2020, nuclear facilities were safe

    In an initial assessment, ENSI announced that the nuclear power plants (NPP) in Switzerland were “safely operated” in the past year of supervision. The number of reportable incidents in 2020 was slightly below the average of previous years, according to a media release . Despite the pandemic situation, ENSI was present in the NPPs. All systems would have complied with the safety requirements.

    Since pandemic plans were already in place before the coronavirus occurred, the operators were prepared for the current situation. Annual major revisions have been adapted to it. ENSI is convinced that you have nevertheless complied with the legal requirements.

    The Mühleberg NPP has been shut down for good since September 15, 2020. The decommissioning of the research reactor at the University of Basel has now been completed to the point that no more reportable incidents can occur.

    Most of these incidents, eight in total, concerned the Beznau NPP . On December 7th, both reactor blocks were shut down after an inspection required by ENSI and restarted on December 21st. Further clarifications on one aspect are still ongoing.

  • Annual review 2020 of the SVSM

    Annual review 2020 of the SVSM

    You, our members, are much more directly and substantially affected by the corona pandemic. Numerous location and economic promotions have had to experience that years of development work can become practically meaningless within a few weeks because of the lockdown or because of regional easing. Suddenly completely different factors were decisive for shopping, leisure and travel behavior, primarily the question: What is still allowed where? In such a situation – in which, in my view, federalism is reaching its limits – location and economic development can hardly exert any influence. To make matters worse: where the industry is struggling to survive, there is neither time nor energy, let alone money, left over to secure and promote regional location advantages. But right now it is important to think long-term, invest and expand on what has been achieved.

    In these special times, we would like to thank you all the more for your loyalty to our association – even if you could not benefit from all the services to which you are entitled as part of your membership in 2020. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors, UPC Switzerland and the electricity works of the Canton of Zurich EKZ, for their commitment. We very much hope that we can hold a half-day event as a new format in autumn 2021. Our general assembly in spring will also take place virtually this year. We will send you all relevant information and documents in the next few weeks. Of course, we will also keep you up to date on our annual program, including with our newsletter.

  • Nomoko launches the «Praedia» platform for an exclusive group of real estate experts

    Nomoko launches the «Praedia» platform for an exclusive group of real estate experts

    Digitization has arrived in the real estate industry. With the advent of various real estate platforms, the industry took the first steps by making individual real estate portfolios digitally available. Nomoko is now taking a big step into the future: The goal of creating a central platform and community for various players in the real estate industry that searches the market, identifies and analyzes investment opportunities and accesses detailed real estate information. The participants in the “Real Estate Shapers Switzerland” program receive early access to the beta version of the platform and to an exclusive community of innovative, digitally-savvy real estate developers and investors. During the course of the year, the platform will be opened to all properties and investors.

    Digital image of the physical world
    Future users can expect a digital and detailed image of the physical world, a so-called “digital twin”. All real estate data available today are linked and harmonized. By bringing together relevant spatial data such as location information, real estate prices, building or zoning law data and Nomokos 3D visualizations, real estate projects can be decisively optimized by investors and developers. “A holistic and overarching approach is required for the sustainable creation of value in a digitized real estate industry. With the digital twin and the creation of an open ecosystem, Nomoko has the potential to finally bring the real estate industry into the digital age, ” says Daniel Kündig, former President and Honorary President of the SIA.

  • Privera is reorganized for the year 2021

    Privera is reorganized for the year 2021

    Privera combines the two complementary services “Letting Management” and “Trading” in the new “Marketing Switzerland” area. Marcel Frick, previously Head of Letting Management Switzerland, is in charge of the newly created organizational unit and thus combines the marketing expertise of the two departments. The rental management, as well as the trade, however, continue to act as an independent strategic service line of Privera.

    In addition, the Center Management division was renamed Retail & Site Management as of January 2021. This better reflects the diverse range of services in the area. The management of shopping centers also includes retail marketing, the coordination of tenants' associations and the management of complex areas that include retail, office and residential space. Dieter Sommer says: "We are convinced that these adjustments will help both our customers and our company."

  • Energie 360 ° is working on a power-to-gas solution

    Energie 360 ° is working on a power-to-gas solution

    Energie 360 ° and the gas storage company RAG Austria are working on making solar energy available all year round. Both are jointly pursuing the innovative power-to-gas project Underground Sun Conversion – Flexible Storage . It started in December 2020 has a term of two and a half years and is supported by the European Commission promoted . Field tests are already underway at the RAG research site in Pilsbach, Upper Austria.

    In this project, excess renewable energy, such as solar power in summer, is converted into hydrogen, explains Energie 360 ° in a press release . This is then stored together with carbon dioxide in natural underground storage at a depth of over 1000 meters. There, microorganisms combine hydrogen and carbon to form renewable methane gas. This energy can be used in the event of supply gaps, for example in winter. The advantage over pumped storage power plants or batteries lies in the much higher storage capacity and, at the same time, less surface area, according to Energie 360 °.

    In Switzerland, the two companies cooperate with the University of Bern , the University of Applied Sciences in Eastern Switzerland and the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ). "We are working together on the solution to one of the greatest challenges facing the energy system of the future: How do we advance volatile renewable energy sources such as sun and wind and at the same time offer year-round security of supply?", Says Andreas Kunz, Head of Energy Systems at Energie 360 °.