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  • Swiss Nuclides secures fresh capital

    Swiss Nuclides secures fresh capital

    With the Series A financing round, Swiss Nuclides AG was able to raise CHF 2.6 million. Zurich-based Turos Capital AG and private investors were involved. This capital will be used to continue the preclinical and clinical development of the lead molecules.

    The Aargau start-up develops solutions for personalized cancer diagnostics, prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. This improves the use of positron emission tomography (PET). This reduces cancer diagnosis and radiation exposure for patients to a minimum. With this method, sugar metabolism processes are examined to identify changed tissue structures. The patients take glucose which is linked to a weakly radioactive tracer molecule.

  • SoTech Network

    SoTech Network

    The canton of Solothurn supports the SoTech Network project, the network and training platform for MINT professions. The project was developed by the location promotion agency, the Solothurn Chamber of Commerce and sovision espace Solothurn and will enter the test phase at the beginning of 2022. (see standortsolothurn.so.ch )

  • Foreign real estate is becoming more attractive

    Foreign real estate is becoming more attractive

    The majority of the companies active in the real estate market did not allow their risk behavior to be adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, writes EY Switzerland in a report on the current “ Asset Management Survey ”. For the study, EY Switzerland and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts examined the activities of 52 Swiss real estate investors and pension funds. According to the results, most of the respondents intend to continue investing in domestic and increasingly also in foreign real estate in the future.

    "The pandemic has hardly any noticeable impact on the general demand from investors for real estate investments that remain without alternative in the low interest rate environment and especially in uncertain times," Karl Frank Meinzer, Head of Real Estate at EY Switzerland, is quoted in the press release. According to Casper Studer, however, the focus of investments has shifted to more pandemic-resistant properties. "This is particularly true of properties that are used for living and logistics," explains the real estate expert at EY Switzerland. According to the surveys of the analysts, around seven out of ten respondents also play a medium to large role in investment decisions.

    The concentration on residential and logistics real estate goes hand in hand with the increasing attractiveness of foreign real estate. More than six out of ten companies surveyed are planning to increase investments in foreign residential real estate; the figure for domestic residential real estate is 51 percent, according to the press release. 46 percent are interested in logistics properties abroad, and a third of those surveyed want to invest more in domestic logistics properties. On the other hand, 36 and 27 percent of those surveyed want to reduce their portfolio of retail properties in Germany and abroad.

  • Houzy is growing rapidly

    Houzy is growing rapidly

    Houzy continues to grow rapidly. As the PropTech start-up of the same name reports, the number of users of the platform has risen from 5,000 to 50,000 since the beginning of 2020. According to a press release, this growth is due to the strong need of homeowners for more transparency and well-founded information about their house or apartment.

    Therefore, Houzy integrated a Switzerland-wide mortgage comparison in the first half of 2021. Other functions such as the plant manager, the neophyte checker and the solar calculator have been updated and expanded. At the same time, the development team has simplified and improved all tools, including the renewal fund analysis and the heating and renovation calculator.

    From the available data and results, Houzy derives recommendations for planning any renovation work that is due or reminds them that it is time to change the windows. In addition, the Houzy network now has more than 700 craftsmen. To celebrate the milestone, the company is offering CHF 5,000 for a residential project as part of a competition.

  • Model clarifies the cycle of building materials

    Model clarifies the cycle of building materials

    With his dissertation, industrial engineer Daniel Kliem wants to create the basis for the recycling of building materials at the OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule, across cantons. As it is said in a media release, the “cantonal spirit” is a hindrance in the political process. If, for example, the price for mining gravel and dumping demolition and excavation is raised in one canton in order to provide incentives for recycling, the problem would only shift to other regions: “Dismantling material and excavation would then be transported to other cantons and new material would then drive from further away, ”said Kliem.

    Now a participatively developed model wants to clarify the system dynamics. In addition to three OST institutes, experts from the Universities of St.Gallen and Bergen , the Zurich Office for Waste, Water, Energy and Air as well as Energy and Resource Management GmbH are involved in this four-year project. Despite the complex dynamics, it has already created a comprehensive understanding of the problem and has been able to identify actionable fields of action. For example, the processes and spatial planning measures would have to be redefined. In addition, construction-intensive cantons such as Zurich should be included and the taxation of resources should be regulated nationally.

    "The realization that even experts can learn new things with models and gain new perspectives and inputs was exciting," Kliem is quoted as saying. “The obvious measure to increase the price of gravel is good and works. But if the catchment areas are included, the cooperation between cantons serves as a key to prevent additional transport. "

  • Novavest completes capital increase

    Novavest completes capital increase

    Novavest has completed a further capital increase from existing authorized capital, the real estate company informs in a message . Specifically, 642,619 new registered shares were subscribed at the subscription price of 42.05 francs each during the subscription rights trading between June 14 and 23. Novavest intends to use the approximately 27.0 million francs it has brought in to expand its portfolio of residential properties.

    During the capital increase, existing shareholders of Novavest Real Estate AG were granted the right to purchase one new share for every eleven registered shares already held. The offer was also met with "great interest from both institutional and private investors," writes the company. As a result, Novavest was able to expand its shareholder base.

    After the capital increase, Novavest's share capital will amount to 207.4 million francs, the announcement further explains. Just last December, Novavest raised around CHF 28.6 million in a capital increase. These funds were also used to expand the company's own real estate portfolio. At the end of May, the company then lowered the nominal value of its shares by 1.65 francs to 26.90 francs.

  • House of Winterthur wants to support tourism in the region

    House of Winterthur wants to support tourism in the region

    After an outstanding 2019, tourism was hit hard by the pandemic last year, explained House of Winterthur in a communication to the General Assembly on June 24th. The promotion of the location has also felt this: its income from city taxes and the sale of city guides and other services was 518,000 francs lower than the previous year, writes House of Winterthur. With income of around 2.9 million Swiss francs and the reversal of a provision of 200,000 Swiss francs, the location support posted a loss of 147,000 Swiss francs in the year under review.

    The work of the location promotion is ensured by cantonal funds, explains House of Winterthur in the communication. Specifically, the cantonal council has decided to make a total of 840,000 francs available for location funding over a period of three years. The money is to be used for the recovery of tourism in the Winterthur region.

    "Even during the crisis it became clear: Winterthur is full of surprising success stories – thanks to creativity, adaptability and confidence", House of Winterthur director Samuel Roth is quoted in the press release. "One of the tasks of the House of Winterthur is to track down these stories and tell them on."

    Samuel Roth took over the management of House of Winterthur on August 1st last year after founding director Michael Domeisen left. With Roger Graber and Catherine Zimpfer, two more new members joined the management of House of Winterthur in 2020.

  • Emmi lays the foundation stone for a new cheese dairy

    Emmi lays the foundation stone for a new cheese dairy

    Emmi is building a modern cheese factory at its location in Emmen for 50 million francs. It will replace the existing cheese dairy building, which is over 40 years old. As stated in a press release , this new building is one of the most important investment projects in Emmi's history. On Thursday, the milk processor celebrated the start of the new project phase with the laying of the foundation stone: the building construction is being tackled. In addition to representatives from Emmi and the project partners, Council of States Damian Müller and Lucerne Councilor Fabian Peter were also present.

    Preparatory work in the area began in November. The groundbreaking took place in January. The building should be ready by the end of the year. Commissioning – initially parallel to the existing cheese dairy – is planned for the end of 2022. The new dairy offers "space for highly professional and resource-saving cheese production," the message continues. In addition, it creates additional capacities in line with the long-term growth plans.

    The Emmi Group has 25 production facilities in Switzerland. The company also has 14 subsidiaries abroad. It is also represented with production facilities in eight of them. Emmi exports its products from Switzerland to around 60 countries. "With regional milk from Central Switzerland, we will be producing even more high-quality cheeses such as our Lucerne cream cheese for the whole world in the future," said CEO Marc Heim.

    "Emmi's investments show great confidence in the regional economy and in the canton of Lucerne as a location," government councilor Peter is quoted as saying. “As an important employer, she also serves as a role model in many ways. We are proud to have Emmi in our region. "

  • City of Schlieren adopts economic strategy

    City of Schlieren adopts economic strategy

    Schlieren has developed into a strong business location just outside the gates over the past two decades. There are now 1162 companies based in the city. There are 18,500 jobs for every 19,500 inhabitants. Schlieren now ranks 20th out of 132 municipalities in the city ranking of “Bilanz”.

    The city wants to expand this strong position. This emerges from the economic strategy 2021-2025 , which was drawn up with over 80 business representatives and has now been presented .

    Schlieren starts with its existing strengths. In the field of biotech around the Bio-Technopark Schlieren , the city is to further expand its international position. On a national level, Schlieren wants to position itself even more strongly as a location for start-ups. In Schlieren, clusters in the field of medtech and health care and in ICT are also to be added to match these two topics. Schlieren wants to establish itself as a node in networks that extend far beyond the city.

    This also requires increased communication. In the future, the city also wants to communicate in English and French on selected topics.

    But the city also wants to maintain its other clusters. For example, a service agreement with Shopping Schlieren is planned in the purchasing area. Important actors are to be retained and niche providers to settle in Schlieren. The automobile cluster should also be looked after and preserved.

    A good location needs space: Areas such as the Gasi, Geistlich-Areal, Wagi, Rüti and others should receive tailor-made development strategies. A good location also needs people: the leisure and service offers should be expanded.

    The city wants to further develop the location with partners such as Limmatstadt AG and the Greater Zurich Area. An economic council made up of representatives of the companies in Schlieren is also planned to support the city in the further development of the location. There will also be a change at the top of location promotion: Albert Schweizer built it up in over two decades. He will retire in around five years; the successor should be prepared in the next few years.

  • Vial industrial park in Domat / Ems is expanded

    Vial industrial park in Domat / Ems is expanded

    The former sawmill area in Domat / Ems has been expanded into an industrial park since 2017. Hamilton was the first company to settle there in 2017. The corner parcel in the northeast of the area is now to be sold to LJH Immo AG, the government of the canton of Graubünden informs in a message . It has already approved the draft of a corresponding sales contract for the Domat / Ems community for an area of 6,477 square meters.

    LJH Immo AG is preparing the plot for the settlement of a total of four companies. The real estate company will invest between CHF 12 million and CHF 15 million for this, according to the announcement. According to her, the companies not named are four export-oriented companies "which develop profitable, innovative high-tech products or systems".

    By settling on this parcel, the workforce of the four companies is to be increased from 85 to 140 in the medium to long term, thus creating around 55 full-time positions. "The direct and indirect added value generated by the project is of great economic importance for the canton of Graubünden," emphasizes the government in the communication.

  • PriceHubble expands to the Czech Republic

    PriceHubble expands to the Czech Republic

    PriceHubble is planning to focus on Central and Eastern Europe, the Zurich-based PropTech company, which specializes in real estate valuations for companies, informs in a press release . To this end, PriceHubble has taken over the Czech PropTech Realtify. The start-up company founded by Vladislav Kochetov in Prague in 2019 offers services for residential property professionals. Kochetov should manage the company, which will now operate as PriceHubble Czechia, also under the PriceHubble umbrella and, in particular, be responsible for the growth of the Zurich-based PropTech company in Central and Eastern Europe, PriceHubble writes.

    The takeover is intended to strengthen and expand PriceHubble's position, Julien Schillewaert explains in the press release. "PriceHubble is without a doubt one of the fastest growing PropTech companies in Europe," the PriceHubble CEO is quoted as saying. "There is strong growth potential in Central and Eastern Europe and the integration of Realtify into our team enables us to accelerate our market expansion in the region." With the takeover, PriceHubble is now in Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium , Czech Republic, Slovakia and Japan are active.

  • Nüssli is building ten pavilions for the Expo

    Nüssli is building ten pavilions for the Expo

    The world exhibition, which is actually planned for 2020, begins in Dubai on October 1st. Nüssli is building ten of the total of 200 country pavilions for the Expo, according to a press release by the event builder from the St.GallenBodenseeArea. Despite strict compliance with the health measures, all work is on track, so that the pavilions of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Belarus, China, Japan, Kazakhstan and Monaco will be ready on time.

    The pavilions of France and Japan attracted particular attention. The trade journal “Architectural Digest” recently presented the eight pavilions that will be architecturally the most important at the Expo. With France and Japan, this also includes two of the pavilions built by Nüssli. The event organizer is implementing the motto Pavilion of Light for France and is focusing on sustainability and the connection between Japan and the Middle East for Japan.

    “We cultivate forward-looking planning, cultural understanding and constant exchange within and between the teams as important principles,” Harald Dosch is quoted in the message, COO Special Projects at Nüssli and responsible for all ten pavilions. His company also benefits from the experience. Because Nüssli built a pavilion for the world exhibition in Hanover 20 years ago. In the meantime, 35 more Expo projects have been added.

  • Credit Suisse sees good opportunities for proptechs

    Credit Suisse sees good opportunities for proptechs

    The corona pandemic has also posed challenges for the proptech industry, as a new report from Credit Suisse shows. Globally, for example, 25 percent less risk capital has flowed into such start-ups. However, the reluctance to invest has not left any major mark on the industry. Almost 80 percent of Proptechs were able to increase their number of employees in the past twelve months. Only 3 percent reported a decrease in the workforce. In addition, 87 percent expect a further increase in staff in the next twelve months.

    Furthermore, only around 10 percent of proptechs suffered a setback in sales. In contrast, 80 percent were able to increase their sales during the Corona crisis. According to the report, the industry is aiming to double sales in 2021. In 2022 and 2023, too, higher sales growth is expected than in 2020.

    Credit Suisse also looks at the Swiss proptech industry in the study. Accordingly, the number of proptechs active in Switzerland also increased last year. With over 320 companies, Switzerland has an extremely high density of proptechs in an international comparison, it is said.

    However, the bank also points out that many proptechs with similar business models appear in the market. She assumes that not all companies will be able to position themselves successfully. Credit Suisse sees the quality of the management team and the scalability of the business model as the most important success factors of a Poptech.

  • Army real estate only uses renewables

    Army real estate only uses renewables

    The properties of the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS ) used by the armed forces only use electricity that is generated from renewable energies, especially hydropower, the DDPS informs in a message on the current sustainability report of the Federal Office of Armaments (armasuisse ). According to her, the CO2 emissions caused by the VBS properties have also been significantly reduced compared to the previous year. Specifically, 36,600 tons of CO2 were emitted last year.

    The current sustainability report shows "how armasuisse real estate builds resource-intensive military infrastructures sustainably and operates them economically over the entire life cycle," the press release goes on to say. The report also provides important key figures. One example is the share of expenditure on planning and construction work that is attributable to local suppliers. It is estimated in the communication at 85 percent.

    In addition, the report contains a conversation with division general Thomas Kaiser, is further explained in the communication. In this, the head of the army's logistics base presented “his vision of a sustainable future for the army's logistics base”.

  • Swiss keep moving

    Swiss keep moving

    Almost 20 percent of the population moved within the last 18 months, homegate.ch informed in a message. This rate has been observed over the last year and a half, it says there. The pandemic did not reduce the attractiveness of a move. The digital real estate marketplace from TX Group is based on a relocation study it carried out.

    According to the results of the study, Switzerland is still “a land of tenants”, the communication further explains. Over seven out of ten people moved into a rented apartment. Homgate.ch observed moving in together with the partner, professional reasons and dissatisfaction with the current apartment as the most common reasons for moving. The most important criteria for the selection of the new domicile were mentioned by those questioned for the study of the price, the number of rooms and the location. Accessibility, old buildings or the Minergie standard, on the other hand, were only important to a minority in the single-digit range.

    The pandemic had "no lasting effects on moving behavior," writes homegate.ch. However, two thirds of those surveyed claimed that the pandemic had an impact on their relocation plans. The communication specifically mentions problems with viewings and postponing a planned move. In addition, 12 percent of those moving because of the lockdown moved to their partner.

  • UBS joins forces with Invesco

    UBS joins forces with Invesco

    UBS and the American Invesco Real Estate have agreed on a cooperation. Together, they offer UBS clients access to Invesco's global real estate mandates. This will make it more efficient for UBS Global Wealth Management's private customers to include this asset class in their portfolios, according to a media release from the major Zurich bank.

    The new offer will primarily invest in Invesco's direct real estate strategies, but also in listed real estate stocks, co-investments and direct real estate. With assets under management of 63.3 billion dollars in direct real estate investments and 19.9 billion dollars in listed real estate values, as well as more than 580 real estate professionals worldwide, Invesco is "the only manager with comparable strategies in the USA, Europe and Asia", so UBS.

    "This offer was specially structured for UBS and its clients in order to offer them stable and attractive regular income over the long term," said Marty Flanagan, President and CEO of Invesco, quoted in the press release. According to Bruno Marxer, Head of Global Investment Management at UBS, this partnership underscores the bank's commitment to providing its clients with exclusive access to solutions from leading partners.

  • Peach Property completes capital increase

    Peach Property completes capital increase

    Peach Property Group AG has successfully completed the placement of unsecured, subordinated mandatory convertible bonds, the real estate company, which specializes in properties in Germany, informs in a message . Due to the strong interest, the nominal amount of the bond has been increased to 180 million francs, it says there. The funds raised are to be used to finance recently acquired residential properties in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bremen as well as for further company growth.

    The bonds are to be converted into newly issued registered shares of the group by the due date on December 23 at the latest. The initial conversion price is set at CHF 55.00 and the nominal value of the share at CHF 1.00. The conversion will increase the company's share capital by around 3.2 million shares or 25.7 percent. The shares should be able to be traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange in a few days.

  • PropTech: The 3 most important Success Drivers

    PropTech: The 3 most important Success Drivers

    According to the Gartner Hype Cycle, every new technology is initially subject to high or exaggerated expectations. After a “cycle of disappointment” follows a “phase of enlightenment”, from which solutions then arise at a realistically increasing level of productivity. Data science, robots and drones, virtual and augmented reality or artificial intelligence are just a few of these basic technologies. The blockchain is one of the last technological hype triggers. We will see promising developments and use cases in these areas over the next few years.

    The challenge for a PropTech company is to develop a successful business model or product or service with the corresponding problem-solving potential and scalability from one of these basic technologies. In this context one often hears terms like SaaS or DSaaS. “Software as a Service” (SaaS) is a cloud service model in which applications and data are located in the cloud and thus on the PropTech provider's servers. With “Data Science as a Service” (DSaaS), the data supplied to the cloud is processed by the provider, analyzed using an algorithm and fed back to the customer as findings.

    But this is only one side of the coin. The established companies in the real estate industry must also recognize the added value of these products and services and be prepared to pay for them. The driver for real estate entrepreneurs will certainly be the cost and efficiency side, but also or above all the needs of their customers. Anyone who aligns their business model to a megatrend – such as sustainability, big data or future work – is fundamentally not wrong here.

    You can find out more about successful business models here:
    https://proptechmarket.net/loesungen

  • Federal Council wants more renewable electricity in winter

    Federal Council wants more renewable electricity in winter

    The Federal Council wants to strengthen the security of the electricity supply. To this end, it passed the message on the federal law on a secure electricity supply with renewable energies. According to a statement by the Federal Council, this provides, among other things, for promoting the expansion of domestic renewable energies more strongly than previously planned. In particular, he wants to strengthen security of supply in winter.

    According to the message, 17 terawatt hours of electricity are to be generated from renewable sources in 2035, 14 terawatt hours of which from photovoltaics. So far, the target value was 11.4 terawatt hours. In 2050, production is expected to be 39 terawatt hours; the previous target was 24.2 terawatt hours.

    In order to secure the supply in winter, 2 terawatt hours of climate-neutral electricity are to be generated by 2040 in addition to the previous target values, which must be safely available in winter. This is to be achieved primarily through large storage power plants, which are compensated through a winter surcharge. In addition, a strategic energy reserve is to be established that will also secure the power supply towards the end of winter.

    The Federal Council wants to extend the financing of the current funding instruments, which are limited to the end of 2022 and 2030, until 2035. The amount of the network surcharge should be 2.3 cents per kilowatt hour.

    In addition, the electricity market is to be opened up completely, thereby strengthening decentralized electricity production. A basic supply that continues to exist is intended to protect small end consumers.

  • Wunderbrücke is officially opened

    Wunderbrücke is officially opened

    The Wunderbrücke is a central project of the new Technorama adventure park in Winterthur. The 130-meter-long structure with its five percent gradient will be officially opened with a ceremony on June 19, according to a media release. It was designed by Conzett Bronzini Partner from Chur.

    Wunderbrücke and the redesign of the Technorama Park were initiated by the Swiss Association of Engineers and Architects (SIA ) around ten years ago. The area has been open to the public since April. Natural phenomena can be experienced with all the senses in the new outdoor area and experienced first hand. That makes the Technorama a versatile excursion destination, according to the SIA on the development of the park . The park was designed by the Winterthur office Krebs und Herde landscape architects.

    The background to the project is a debate about civil engineering artists without a museum. The "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" took up the topic in 2009. There is a museum for everything, she wrote at the time, except for the achievements that are central to the Swiss brand: bridges, tunnels and buildings. Today, the SIA can present itself to hundreds of thousands of visitors every year in the Technorama Park, including numerous school children. "We are pleased about a prime example of interdisciplinary cooperation that playfully inspires the youngsters for the technical professions and sensitizes several hundred thousand visitors annually to a high-quality building culture", SIA President Peter Dransfeld is quoted in a media release.

    Around 30 large exhibits can be seen and experienced on the exhibition grounds in Winterthur. According to the SIA, the “Falling Water” exhibit will cause a sensation. The Wunderbrücke plays a central role in this. A suspension bridge with dynamic vibration behavior that visitors can control will also be added.

    The Zurich Government Councilor Martin Neukom, the City President of Winterthur Michael Künzle and the President of the Board of Trustees Werner Inderbitzin will pay tribute to the Technorama at the ceremony for invited guests. Technorama director Thorsten-D. Künnemann and the Technorama staff will guide you through the event with experiments, live music and announced surprises.

  • PropertyMatch is coming to Switzerland

    PropertyMatch is coming to Switzerland

    PMCH SA, based in the canton of Vaud, and the Vaudois Cantonal Bank ( BCV ) have activated a Swiss version of PropertyMatch, according to a message . The international real estate platform was originally launched in 2009 by CBRE , a global service company, and the GFI Group trading platform. Since then, it has reportedly contributed to more than 1,700 transactions for a total of over $ 15 billion in the secondary market.

    The Swiss side is accessible at propertymatch.ch. The platform specializes in unlisted collective real estate investments and offers users real-time price information. It is primarily aimed at institutional investors and independent asset managers.

    The site was initially started with unlisted real estate investments deposited with BCV. However, the offer is to be gradually expanded and expanded to include all of the unlisted collective Swiss real estate investments, it says.

    The Swiss version of PropertyMatch is operated by PMCH SA. The BCV custodian is responsible for handling the transactions.

  • Enerdrape wins with climate panels for buildings

    Enerdrape wins with climate panels for buildings

    Enerdrape has 150, 000 francs under the support of Venture Kick obtained as from a message stating. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne ( EPFL ) is developing a sustainable solution for air conditioning in buildings. The start-up's system consists of modular panels that are installed indoors. These use the existing thermal energy and waste heat to heat and cool the building.

    According to Enerdrape, heating and cooling buildings alone are responsible for around 40 percent of CO2 emissions in Europe. According to the start-up, sustainable alternatives often require a complex installation process and are also expensive. In contrast, the solution from Enerdrape is cheap and easy to implement. The company's panels are particularly intended for installation in underground garages and commercial buildings. In Europe, Enerdrape sees a potential market of CHF 40 million here.

    The Venture Kick funding initiative supports young companies from the idea to the establishment of a company. The Venture Kick Foundation mandated the institute for young companies , which is represented in Schlieren ZH, St.Gallen and Lausanne, to carry out the initiative.

  • Westhive is planning a new location in Zug

    Westhive is planning a new location in Zug

    The Metall Zug Group wants to create "a new piece of the city for an industrial ecosystem" on the V-Zug site. Additional industrial companies, start-ups, technology-related service providers, training facilities and apartments are also to be located on the so-called Tech Cluster Zug.

    The Zurich coworking provider Westhive also wants to be present on the area. According to a media release , he will open a new location there in late summer 2022. Members are to be offered flexible workplaces, conference rooms, a coffee bar, a team kitchen and a fitness area. Overall, the Zug location will cover an area of more than 2000 square meters.

    "We are very pleased that we have found such a suitable location in Zug", Bruno Rambaldi, co-founder of Westhive, is quoted as saying. "And with Metall Zug we have an ideal partner for the implementation."

    According to David Carnier, who is responsible for the Westhive project on the part of Tech Cluster Zug AG, Westhive's flexible workplaces fit well into the concept of the Tech Cluster Zug.

  • Steiner AG builds new quarters in Fischbach-Göslikon

    Steiner AG builds new quarters in Fischbach-Göslikon

    When the building permit becomes legally binding, construction work for the Widacher project in Fischbach-Göslikon can begin in summer. The shares the project developer Steiner AG with now.

    As part of this construction project, a fallow industrial area will be converted into "a new place to live in the countryside". Listed buildings such as the barn and the Alte Post would be carefully integrated and revitalized for living and common areas.

    The start of construction on the first of three stages is scheduled for summer 2022. Initially, 16 terraced houses and 42 apartments will be built to the Minergie standard. A total of 165 residential units are to be built there in ten multi-family houses and 46 single-family houses.

  • HRS drives hotel project in Arbon

    HRS drives hotel project in Arbon

    HRS Real Estate AG from Frauenfeld would like to build a b_smart hotel on the SaurerWerk-Zwei site in Arbon, according to a media release . The real estate company has now submitted a planning application for the hotel and a neighboring building with 18 condominiums. The hotel is to have 63 hotel rooms, and catering with 70 seats, fitness and meeting rooms are also planned.

    The project is related to the closed Hotel Metropol. After its demolition, the Riva project will be implemented on the site. At a round table, an agreement was reached that Riva "with a restaurant, hall, bar, garden terrace and additional overnight accommodation is architecturally the right property in the right place," says the message. HRS has therefore decided to push ahead with the plans for the b_smart hotel. Originally, the company was of the opinion that the “economically necessary and necessary prerequisites for a new hotel would only be met with the construction of Riva”. But now it is making advance payments to create new overnight accommodations in Arbon.

    HRS works with the Liechtenstein company b_smart selection from Gamprin-Bendern. It already operates 16 hotels and motels in Liechtenstein and Switzerland. It relies on a so-called self-check-in concept, through which guests can book around the clock and check in on site. The Toni Hilti family trust and the Toni Hilti family from Liechtenstein are involved as investors in the hotel project.

  • ewz equips 70 Aldi roofs with solar modules

    ewz equips 70 Aldi roofs with solar modules

    Around 70 Aldi Suisse branches can use self-produced solar power either now or in the near future. According to a media release from Aldi, “one of the largest solar energy projects in Switzerland” is on the home straight. A total of 45,000 solar modules will then have been installed on the approximately 70 Aldi Suisse branch roofs. The photovoltaic systems are installed and operated by ewz .

    The electricity generated from around 14 million kilowatt hours corresponds roughly to the annual consumption of 5,000 households. Together with the "largest connected solar system in Switzerland" on the roof of the Aldi Suisse distribution center in Perlen ZH, a total of over 22 million kilowatt hours of electricity would then be produced. This could supply around 8,400 households for a year.

    Aldi Suisse uses the majority of this for lighting or cooling its own branches and for electric charging stations. So far, they have been built at 10 percent of the locations. Any surpluses would be fed into the grid by ewz. "We are proud", says Jérôme Meyer, Aldi Country Manager, "that with solar energy projects like this we are helping to further systematically reduce the company's own CO2 footprint".

  • Artificial intelligence recognizes the type of land use

    Artificial intelligence recognizes the type of land use

    Thanks to a student at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne ( EPFL ), the regularly necessary classification of land use is now much less time-consuming than before. According to a press release from the university, she has developed and trained her own machine learning algorithm that can not only distinguish forests from other types of land. Instead, Valérie Zermatten's algorithm also recognizes rivers, lakes, camping and sports fields, cemeteries, water treatment stations, public parks, airports and dams. This makes it clearly superior to the algorithm developed by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) called Areal Statistics Deep Learning, or ADELE for short.

    The results produced by their program as part of a master’s thesis are similar to the official data published by the FSO. According to the announcement, this suggests that it could be used for land use classification in the future. The big advantage lies in the processing time for aerial photos, because their classification into around 40 different categories is still largely done by hand.

    All of Switzerland is photographed from the air every three years. Because manual categorization takes so long, the results are only published every six years. With this mapping, land consumption can be better tracked, soil permeability can be monitored and urban sprawl can be combated.

    “Our goal is not to replace humans with artificial intelligence,” says Devis Tuia, one of Zermatt's doctoral supervisors at EPFL. “Although Valérie's algorithm will reduce the amount of tedious work that has to be done manually.” But even then there is still enough for people to do – for example, to recognize whether it is a house or a school, a football field or a football field Wiese act.

  • Sulzer and Blue Planet are working on CO2-negative concrete

    Sulzer and Blue Planet are working on CO2-negative concrete

    Sulzer and Blue Planet want to work together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable cement industry. For this they have now entered into a partnership. The Californian specialist for CO2 capture and mineralization uses technologies from the Winterthur company to reduce CO2 in order to lower greenhouse gas emissions from industrial operations.

    According to a press release from Sulzer, Blue Planet has developed a profitable CO2 capture, use and storage system that captures CO2 from a variety of emission sources such as power plants, refineries, steel and cement plants. The CO2 is mineralized in solid, crystalline form and thus permanently bound. The granulate is added to concrete as a 70 to 90 percent main component. As usual, these aggregates are then bound by cement. With a share of 7 percent, cement makes a significant contribution to global CO2 emissions. But the CO2 footprint of the cement in the concrete is "more than compensated for" by the CO2 bound in the synthetic limestone aggregates, according to Sulzer.

    "We are pleased to be able to contribute our expertise in circular applications to such a future-oriented project," said Sulzer's Chemtech division manager, Torsten Wintergerste, quoted in the press release. "It will help reduce carbon emissions from industrial applications and the cement sector – a major concern of our customers."

  • Poenina Group takes over two companies

    Poenina Group takes over two companies

    Poenina Holding AG buys two companies: Längle & Staub Sanitärplanung GmbH , based in St. Gallen, and Christian Jost AG , based in Chur. The building services group from the Greater Zurich Area announced the signing of the corresponding contracts in a press release . The takeover will take effect on June 30th.

    Both companies will continue to operate under their own names. Längle & Staub has six employees and an annual turnover of around 1 million francs. The business will be continued by the previous managing director Jürgen Längle. Längle & Staub offers specialist planning of sanitary and building technology systems, from which the Poenina Group would like to benefit.

    Christian Jost AG has 14 employees and an annual turnover of around 3 million francs. The family business offers services in the areas of sanitary, heating and ventilation technology. According to a press release, the company will be managed with immediate effect by Giacomo Lecchino, the managing director of Willi Haustechnik AG, which is also part of the Poenina Group and has its headquarters in Chur.

    "We warmly welcome the employees of both companies and look forward to working with them," said Jean Claude Bregy, CEO of Poenina, in the press release.

  • Implenia is building a railway line in northern Italy

    Implenia is building a railway line in northern Italy

    Implenia AG and the Italian construction company Webuild have been awarded the contract to plan and build a high-performance railway line between Fortezza and Ponte Gardena in northern Italy. The construction and real estate service provider based in Dietlikon is developing and realizing 49 percent of the project on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana SpA , the owner of the Italian railway network, according to a media release .

    Webuild's project share is 51 percent. The order has a total volume of 1.07 billion euros.

    The 22.5-kilometer route connects to the Brenner railway tunnel on the Italian side of the Alps. The largely underground expansion should enable faster connections and higher capacities between Munich and Verona in the future. The passenger and freight trains should be able to travel much faster on the new route. So far, they have been relatively slow on the road due to inclines, the press release said.

    In addition to improving mobility and modernizing the infrastructure in northern Italy, the funds made available also serve to create jobs. According to a press release, the project will directly and indirectly create around 15,000 new jobs in the coming years.

    "Implenia is proud to be planning and building such an important part of the future European rail network," Christian Späth, head of the civil engineering department at Implenia, is quoted in the Medienmitteling.