Tag: immoNews

ewz implement 100 climate-neutral real estate projects

Ewz is aiming for an ambitious goal by 2030: "Individual projects are not enough to achieve the national climate targets," ewz director Benedikt Loepfe is quoted in a media release. Instead, ewz understands the flagship Fischermätteli quarter in Burgdorf BE, which is currently under construction, "as a starting point for an ambitious goal: 100 real estate projects – 100% climate-neutral".

Because the construction and maintenance of buildings generate a good third of all pollutant emissions, energy-efficient buildings and a climate-neutral energy supply are among the most important levers for Switzerland's climate goals, the press release said. For example, the combination of heat pumps, solar power, storage and electromobility leads to the greatest possible self-sufficiency with low resource consumption. In doing so, local, renewable energy sources are consistently used.

"With the comprehensive implementation of such climate-neutral real estate projects – both new buildings and renovations – ewz is making a significant contribution to environmental and climate protection and the energy transition," said Loepfe. "As one of the first energy supply companies, ewz is committed to a pioneering commitment to a CO2-free Switzerland."

March 2021
SF Urban Properties can increase profits

Despite the pandemic, SF Urban Properties AG can look back on “a gratifying 2020 financial year”, writes the real estate company belonging to Swiss Finance & Property Group AG in a press release . Specifically, the company was able to increase its operating result at EBIT level from 27.0 million to 32.0 million francs year-on-year. The net profit before revaluations increased by 92.8 percent compared to 2019 to 23.0 million francs. Net profit including revaluations improved by 23.8 percent to 23.0 million francs.

As a background for the good developments, SF Urban Properties cites the successful sale of a property and the vacancy rate, which was kept at a low 2.62 percent despite the pandemic. As in the previous year, shareholders are to be paid a dividend of CHF 3.60 per listed ordinary share. With an equity ratio of 46.4 percent, the company continues to be “robustly financed,” writes SF Urban Properties.

In the current year, the real estate company intends to concentrate on the economic areas of Zurich and Basel as before. In the year under review, SF Urban Properties was able to successfully market the Sandreutergarten residential development planned in Riehen BS, the real estate company reports. Nine out of ten of the units under construction since the end of 2020 have already been sold. In the development project at Klusstrasse 38 in Zurich, twelve of a total of 13 units were reserved in the reporting year and two of them had already been legally sold.

March 2021
Timber Corporation is the guardian of our forest

The Schlieren wood corporation and the forest ranger Limmattal Süd have their diverse tasks under control despite the many challenges. They are pleased that this year, with the new cloakroom in the Zelgli, a building will be built by the city of Schlieren with local wood and that other buildings (after-school care center, new retirement center) will be tendered or planned in wood. This role model function of the city of Schlieren was also carried over to private real estate investors. The “Kesslerplath” project of the Migros Pension Fund is also to be realized in wood.
Around 100 cubic meters of spruce wood from the Schlierem Forest will be used for the new cloakroom building at the Rohr sports field. Financially this is not a big deal for the Schlieren wood corporation, but President Fredy Füllemann is very pleased that the city of Schlieren not only sets an example for building with local wood with this decision, but also appreciates the work of the wood corporation.
The Schlieren wood corporation was founded as a private corporation in 1851 and manages a total of around 180 hectares of forest. A milestone in the history of the Schlieren wood corporation was the great amalgamation of forests in 1984. This resulted in large and much easier-to-manage parcels. The city of Schlieren also contributed its forest and has since then been a member with partial rights, like all other private forest owners. Almost without exception, these are long-established Schlierem families.
The prices for domestic wood are poor. These prices have been falling for a long time and the storm Lothar in 1999 intensified this trend. So there is hardly any more money to be made with the forest and the timber corporations are happy when they can cover the costs of care and maintenance with the proceeds. A further complicating factor is that significantly cheaper wood is delivered to Switzerland from abroad.
The forest belongs to private individuals, but can be used by the public. Very few people know that the forest owners are responsible for a great deal of work in the forest, including the maintenance of the forest paths, which are highly valued by the population, and that they also have to bear the costs.
In some Swiss cantons, wood corporations are supported in this area, but unfortunately this has hardly been the case in Zurich so far. "As the price of wood continues to fall, it is becoming more and more difficult for forest owners to cope with the financial burdens," emphasizes Roland Helfenberger and Fredy Füllemann adds: "We will probably have to make ourselves heard more in the canton in the future."
In our time, the forest has to struggle with various influences. In particular, global warming is causing him a lot of trouble, some tree species will probably disappear in our forests in the long term. While spruce, fir and beech trees suffer from the higher temperatures, oaks, Douglas firs and nut trees have significantly fewer problems.
It is typical of forest management that everything has to be considered over long periods of time, or – as Revierforster Helfenberger aptly puts it: "We benefit from the work of our ancestors and work for future generations." As the district forester Limmattal Süd, Helfenberger from Aesch has also been responsible for the care and management of the Schlierem forest since 2013. He and his team are faced with great challenges in a variety of ways. The heavy snowfalls in the past few months have caused a lot of extra work and the clean-up work is far from over.
Ecologically and economically
This is not the first time that the city is building Schlieren with wood. The multi-part factory building in the city on Bernstrasse was made of wood and even made it into the 20 best best practice examples in Switzerland. The double after-school care center at Schulstrasse 12 was also made entirely of wood in 2007. More wooden structures are to follow. The Migros Pension Fund MPK is currently examining the procurement of wood for the new Kesslerplatz building from the Schlieremer Wald, or from the Limmattal-Süd forest district. Spruce and fir trees are available for the harvest season. At best, the MPK plans to source the wood for the ceilings and facades from the region. The latest study by Wüest Partner AG shows that wooden buildings are not only ecologically convincing, but also keep up economically.

March 2021
Bern gets a new festival hall

The voters from Bern have not only approved the construction of the new festival hall, but also the city's investment of CHF 15 million, according to a press release by the trade fair operator Bernexpo AG . This should enable events with up to 9,000 visitors in the future. In addition to trade fairs and congresses, concerts and cultural events are also planned.

"With the New Festival Hall, we will upgrade the Bern event and trade fair center and thus make a significant contribution to strengthening a diverse range of cultural and entertainment offers that radiate beyond the city and into the region and throughout Switzerland," says Franziska von Weissenfluh in of the announcement quoted, Co-Chairman of the Board of Bernexpo AG.

The old festival hall is now being demolished. Work on the new festival hall is to begin in the first quarter of 2022 and is to be completed by 2024.

March 2021
Canton approves Rai design plan in Bergdietikon

The design plan submitted by the municipal council for the Rai area in Bergdietikon has been approved by the Department of Construction, Transport and Environment of the Canton of Aargau. This is announced by the municipal council in a message. It contains a look back at the 40-year history of the land of Rai. It began by buying four parcels of land in the Rai area between 1980 and 1990 so as not to leave the potential building land to speculators.

After the canton's approval, the next step will be to implement the construction project. According to the communal council, the first step is to take measures to stabilize the hillside area. Implenia Immobilien AG has to submit a planning application for the planned work to the municipality of Bergdietikon. The concept developed by Heinrich Jäckli AG and Basler & Hofmann AG suggests slowing down the slope movements by means of deep drainage ditches arranged in the direction in which the slope falls. For the future development and development of the Rai area, subsoil investigations and movement measurements were carried out between 1991 and 2005. It follows from them that the slope movements can be reduced to such an extent that development and development are possible.

In the years since the municipality acquired the Rai area, the topic of use has repeatedly dominated the political debate, writes municipality clerk Patrick Geissmann in the report on the Rai area. Pius Achermann, mayor from 1994 to 2005, has their say. He is quoted as saying: “The importance of the Rai area achieved a high priority during my tenure. Hardly a council meeting went by without addressing the subject of Rai. Rai became a constant topic. "

For Paul Meier, mayor from 2006 to 2009, the state of Rai was “a stimulating word during my 16 years on the parish council.” And Gerhart Isler, mayor from 2010 to 2017, is quoted as saying that the subject involved the involvement of Implenia Development AG and specific planning work has been objectified. Ralf Dörig, mayor since 2018, is quoted as saying: "I am of course very pleased that the 40-year history of the country 'Rai' can now be concluded with a legally binding design plan." Solutions have been worked out, but there have also been setbacks. The entire planning has now been successfully completed.

March 2021
Pandemic cuts profits at Zug Estates

According to a statement from the Zug Estates Group , the real estate company was able to increase its property income in 2020 by 6.1 percent year-on-year to 57.8 million francs. In the accommodation business, income from the effects of the pandemic was reduced by 57.8 percent to 7.0 million francs. In 2020, income of 72.5 million francs was generated from the sale of properties. In the previous year, 45.6 million francs were posted here.

In 2020, income would have been offset by 15.6 percent higher expenses of 9.0 million francs year-on-year, writes Zug Estates. As a result, the operating result before depreciation and revaluation fell by CHF 3.8 million to CHF 49.6 million. The reported operating result (EBIT) was CHF 43.7 million, 38.0 percent below the 2019 figure. Consolidated earnings excluding revaluation and special effects fell from CHF 31.4 million to CHF 25.9 million.

The value of its own portfolio of real estate increased by 1.5 percent to 1.65 billion francs in the year under review, explains Zug Estates. In addition, in 2020 the company was able to renew leases with a total volume of over CHF 2.6 million per year. For the current year, Zug Estates anticipates increasing rental income and lower property costs compared to the year under review.

March 2021
Baden Cantonal Hospital installs solar power system

The Kantonsspital Baden (KSB) relies on renewable energy and has therefore had solar power systems installed for self-sufficiency. On an area of 2000 square meters, solar panels have been installed on the roofs of the parking garage and the heating center and also on the facade of the heating building. According to a media release from KSB, the new solar power generators have a total output of 375 megawatt hours of electricity. This corresponds to 3 percent of KSB's electricity requirements. The new solar systems are to be connected to the power supply network for the canton hospital at the end of this month.

Cristoffel Schwarz, the chief manager (COO) of KSB, is quoted as saying: “The areas on the P2 multi-storey car park and the heating plant are predestined for the production of solar power. That is why we decided to make this investment. The KSB will thus become a small power plant itself. "

March 2021
Parcel system should reduce delivery traffic

In the pandemic, the already growing online trade continued to grow, write the construction and transport department of the canton of Basel-Stadt , the association Pro Innenstadt Basel and the logistics cluster Region Basel in a joint message . The provider-neutral parcel systems they have developed are intended to remedy this. As part of a pilot project, the first of the so-called Smart Boxes has already been set up on Claraplatz.

Another smart box is to be set up at St. They want to test the acceptance and effectiveness of the parcel systems by February 2023. "The current pilot project is intended to show how much the offer is being used and how much the daily traffic volume can be reduced with it," said Deborah Strub, chairwoman of the Basel region logistics cluster, quoted in the press release.

The project is financed by the Office for Mobility of the Canton of Basel-Stadt and the Pro Innenstadt Basel association. “Residents of Basel can conveniently have the parcels they have ordered delivered to the Smart Box Basel, where they can pick them up around the clock,” explains the managing director of the association Mathias F. Böhm. The package systems are manufactured and operated by Huber AG . She has also developed a digital application for using the Smart Boxes.

March 2021
Swiss photovoltaics will record record expansion in 2020

Photovoltaics in Switzerland was expanded significantly in the past year 2020. According to a press release, according to the Swiss Association for Solar Energy, this was not enough to achieve the climate targets. The professional association Swissolar represents the interests of 740 association members with around 6000 jobs in the solar energy industry. In the announcement from Swissolar, the additional photovoltaic capacity installed in 2020 is estimated at an output of 430 to 460 megawatts. The final annual figures will not be available until the middle of the year.

The new installations correspond to a growth of 30 to 39 percent compared to 2019. According to Swissolar, the number of registrations at the Pronovo certification and funding agency suggests that the growth not only occurred in small systems, but also in those with an output of over 100 kilowatts.

From the point of view of the association, however, more needs to be done. "In order to replace the nuclear power that is no longer available and to cover the additional electricity demand for the electrification of traffic and heating, the annual expansion must be increased to around 1500 megawatts over the next few years – almost four times as much as last year," said Swissolar CEO David Stickelberger quoted. This is also provided for in the recently published Energy Perspectives 2050+ by the Federal Office of Energy.

From the perspective of the solar industry, a number of political measures are required to achieve this. Greater support for systems without self-consumption is therefore necessary. This requires state incentives so that the roofs of stables, warehouses, parking lot canopies, noise barriers and other infrastructures are equipped with solar systems. Often this is not the case because the electricity cannot be consumed on the spot. Further measures are the obligation to generate electricity for new buildings, the removal of hurdles in the construction of open-space systems, which often only get a building permit with difficulty.

From Swissolar's point of view, there is also a need for federal and cantonal funding for solar thermal systems. The contribution of solar heating to the energy transition is still underestimated.

March 2021
Plazza defies the pandemic

Plazza AG achieved a very positive result in 2020 and exceeded its own expectations, writes the Zurich real estate company in a press release . Specifically, the company, which has been listed on the SIX since 2015, was able to increase its property income from CHF 24.3 million in the previous year to CHF 24.6 million in the year under review. At the same time, the operating result before depreciation and revaluation increased from 18.9 million to 20.0 million francs.

The profit was 63.3 million francs, compared to 36.7 million francs in the previous year. The increase is primarily due to success in revaluations, explains Plazza in the press release. Without taking them into account, the profit remained unchanged from 2019 at 17.0 million francs.

Plazza cites the high proportion of residential properties in its own portfolio as the background for the good developments. It was unchanged at 73 percent in the year under review and will continue to rise this year through the purchase of 80 apartments in the Tiergarten estate in Zurich's Friesenberg district, the statement said. According to her, none of the apartments managed by Plazza had been vacant by the end of 2020. Overall, the real estate company was able to reduce its vacancy rate year-on-year from 4.0 to 3.7 percent. The company writes that it mainly affects free commercial space.

For the current year, Plazza is aiming for an operating result before depreciation and revaluation "at least in the order of 2020". Subject to the building permit expected in the first half of the year, the first stage of the development project in Crissier VD is to be tackled. The construction of a nursing home for a foundation and a primary school for the community of Crissier were agreed in the reporting year.

March 2021
Sika sets new standards in the recycling of concrete

According to a message from Sika , the Zug-based building materials group has "developed a new, groundbreaking recycling process for old concrete". With the help of additives, the demolition material is broken down into its components pebble, lime and sandstone. In addition, around 60 kilograms of CO2 per tonne of old concrete would be bound, writes Sika.

"In the five largest EU countries alone, around 300 million tons of old concrete are produced annually," Sika CEO Paul Schuler is quoted in the press release. "By completely recycling, up to 15 million tons of CO2 emissions can be saved."

The new process allows the complete recycling of concrete waste, explains Sika in the press release. Conventional processes, on the other hand, have only made it possible to recycle around a third of the raw materials recovered. The new concrete obtained in the reCO2ver process, on the other hand, comes close to that of new concrete in terms of quality.

According to Frank Hoefflin, reCO2ver is a unique method in the industry for recycling old concrete. "We are already working on developing chemical additives and means to continuously improve quality in order to further advance the industrialization of our technology," explains the head of technology at Sika in the message.

March 2021
Asking rents continue to rise

The monthly rent index compiled by the digital real estate marketplace homegate.ch from TX Group in cooperation with Zürcher Kantonalbank closed at 115.6 points in February. 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. At the beginning of the year, too, prices had risen by an average of 0.17 percent. An increase in rental prices of 0.96 percent has been observed over the past twelve months.

In a monthly comparison, rents have risen in most cantons, writes homegate.ch. The sharpest increase in asking rents was registered in February in the canton of Schaffhausen, at 1.37 percent. In Zug and Glarus, asking rents also increased at an above-average rate of 0.84 and 0.69 percent, respectively. On the other hand, declines were measured in the cantons of Graubünden, Geneva and Ticino with values between -0.48 percent and -0.19 percent.

Homegate.ch makes different developments in the cities. The biggest increase was measured in a month-on-month comparison with 0.78 percent in Lugano. The asking rents in Lucerne and St.Gallen each increased by 0.20 percent compared to January. In Lausanne, Geneva and Bern, however, rents fell between 1.18 and 0.49 percent.

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.

March 2021
GuestReady teams up with Airhosted

In the past four years, GuestReady has established itself as a specialist in six countries with its services for providers of short-term rentals, explains a report on Startupticker.ch. Despite severe setbacks during the coronavirus pandemic, the start-up from Appenzell Ausserrhoden managed to raise “fresh funds” through a swarm financing campaign at the end of 2020. She wants to use GuestReady for the development of the Swiss market. "Switzerland has become even more exciting for us due to Corona and the effects on travel behavior," Alexander Limpert, co-founder of GuestReady, is quoted in the report.

To realize the plans, GuestReady is working with the Zug start-up company Airhosted . The company manages short-term rentals in a total of 18 cities in Switzerland and aims to bring this specialist knowledge to bear in the partnership. GuestReady, in turn, will equip the partner “with the necessary technology” and the specialist knowledge to also win real estate companies and other corporate customers.

The two partners want to be able to look after 500 properties in Switzerland by the end of next year. "Thanks to more local guests, classic destinations in the mountains in particular are already showing higher occupancy rates again," explains Limpert in the article. "In addition, the number of vacation rental owners who want a professional rental service is increasing."

March 2021
Excellent designs adorn the photovoltaic facade of the NEST

Students at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences have made design objects out of photovoltaic modules. They are to be installed on the facade of the NEST research and innovation building on the campus of the Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt ( Empa ) in Dübendorf. In a competition, students from the two university departments of Design and Art as well as Technology and Architecture at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU ) were invited to present their designs. The works of art were created as part of a two-week interdisciplinary block event, according to an Empa media release.

A six-member jury selected the design entitled "Crystal Clear" by Lynn Balli as the winner. Her eight motifs can be seen on the modules that will be installed on the facade of NEST in summer 2021. The design convinced the jury with "the elegant emphasis on the dynamics of glass and the successful implementation with eight individual works of art".

The jury was made up of executives from Empa, HSLU and Zug Estates . The audience award was won by Florence Schöb's “Vernetzt” project.

NEST is the joint research and innovation building of Empa and the water research institute Eawag . Construction and energy technologies and materials are tested in the modular building. This is intended to promote the sustainable use of resources and energy.

March 2021
Swisstopo data can now be accessed free of charge

All digital standard products from swisstopo are now available free of charge. The Federal Office for Topography wants to enable digital maps, aerial photographs, landscape models and geological vector data to be "used, distributed and reused". This also includes commercial uses, as swisstopo announced in a press release .

These data were made generally accessible following a Federal Council resolution. The Federal Council is thus pursuing the goal of an even wider use of geospatial information. In addition, this opening is part of the "Strategy for Open Administrative Data in Switzerland 2019-2023".

This data should be of particular interest to engineers, architects, programmers and planners. Access to official geospatial data will also be easier for research and science, the press release said.

In this way, swisstopo could make an active contribution to innovation and economic growth and at the same time support the digital transformation in Switzerland. The files are available in machine-readable form and can easily be integrated into digital processes.

March 2021
Locatee expands to New York

The Zurich-based company Locatee now has a second headquarters in New York. The team working there is intended to support American companies with immediate effect in planning their actual office space requirements. Because the office landscape will look completely different after the pandemic than before, it is necessary to get a clear picture of the actual occupancy and occupancy, according to a media release .

This expansion in the US is another step towards becoming the global leader in workplace analysis. This analysis leverages the existing wired and wireless networks on site to determine exactly how effectively a company's office space is being used. This makes it possible to enlarge or reduce as needed.

“We know that large companies often have difficulty identifying exactly how their real estate portfolio is being used,” says Locatee CEO Thomas Kessler. “And this leads to enormous costs in the form of wasted space. We want to help companies manage their real estate portfolio effectively. "

Locatee was founded in 2014. In 2016, Swiss Post was the first company to use Locatee in all properties. Today, according to Locatee, its platform is used by companies such as Deloitte , Swiss Re and other of the world's 1000 most valuable companies in more than 60 countries.

March 2021
Visionapartments offers 500 new apartments

Visionapartments will open three new buildings this year and next, according to a media release . The opening for the project in Basel is planned for July 2021. In a central location behind the Basel SBB train station, 125 studios in five different furnishing styles will then be available. A gym, restaurant, communal office and swimming pool will also be set up in the building.

The projects in Glattbrugg and Lugano will follow in the coming year. 316 new apartments are being built in Glattbrugg alone. These are located in the immediate vicinity of Zurich Airport. In addition to the new apartments, a restaurant, a communal kitchen and a fitness and wellness area will also be built there. The property in Lugano will also open next year, on the shores of Lake Lugano. 55 new apartments are being built there. "Despite the current global crisis, we are following our mission to expand further," said Anja Graf, CEO and chairwoman of Visionapartments, in the press release. "We are proud of our growth and look forward to the completion of these real estate projects," she says of the projects in Glattbrugg and Lugano.

Visionapartments was founded in Switzerland in 1999 and specializes in the rental of furnished temporary apartments. The company offers corresponding properties at 850 international locations.

March 2021
The reference mortgage rate remains at 1.25 percent

The Federal Housing Office (BWO) has left the mortgage reference rate for tenancies unchanged at 1.25 percent. In a press release by the BWO, it is pointed out that this rate, which applies to rent structuring throughout Switzerland, has not been changed since March 3, 2020.

The reference interest rate is determined on the basis of the quarterly average interest rate for domestic mortgage claims. This was determined on December 31, 2020. According to the BWO, the rate fell from 1.30 percent to 1.28 percent in the previous quarter. The reference interest rate applicable under rental law remains at 1.25 percent and remains at this level until the average interest rate falls below 1.13 percent or rises above 1.37 percent, explains the BWO. The rate is always given with a quarter percent accuracy.

Since the rate remains unchanged, according to the BWO, there is no new lower or higher claim. If a rent in the individual contractual relationship is not based on the current reference interest rate of 1.25 percent, there is a right to a reduction. Changes in costs, for example in the case of maintenance costs, could also lead to an adjustment claim.

March 2021
The old spinning mill in Turgi becomes a commercial and industrial center

Limmatkraftwerke AG wants to turn the listed old cotton mill in the center of Turgi into a modern commercial complex by leasing 7000 square meters of space for offices, studios, production or storage in the central and western parts of the building. The premises can be rented from April 1st. In a media release from the owner Limmatkraftwerke AG, a subsidiary of Regionalwerke AG Baden , it is said that the tenants could design and expand the rooms according to their needs, as far as this is possible on site.

"We would like to see a lively and inspiring mix of various commercial and industrial sectors in the Turgi spinning mill," said Martin Schoop, Chairman of the Board of Directors, who lives in Turgi himself. He wants to promote the character of a modern economic center in Turgi by transferring part of the income for the promotion of Turgi. Schoop: "Part of the rent is used to feed a fund that is supposed to promote this sense of community."

The spinning mill, which was built in 1826 and was the largest spinning company in Switzerland until 1858, is located in the center of Turgi and is easily accessible. According to the announcement, there are enough parking spaces available and the spinning mill is within walking distance of Turgi train station.

The redesign also pays attention to sustainability. two parking spaces are to be equipped with charging stations for electric vehicles. The building is to be supplied with district heating from the KVA Turgi and in future it will again draw electricity from the neighboring hydropower plant operated by Limmatkraftwerke AG.

Limmatkraftwerke AG see the purchase as a strategic decision. Schoop: “We operate one of our power plants right next to the spinning mill building. Thanks to the purchase of the spinning mill, we can also ensure the operation of this power plant in the long term. ”As the owner, the use of the building can be optimally coordinated with the operation of the power plant.

March 2021
Regionalwerke AG Baden implements a construction project on the Limmat

The Limmergy development project in the Obersiggenthal district of Rieden is making progress. For the construction project launched by Regionalwerke AG Baden , the participation procedure was carried out in February by resolution of the Obersiggenthal municipal council. This was completed on Monday so that planning can continue.

To be built according to release the Regionalwerke Baden there on a slope with river access a "smart" buildings. Each letter stands for one of the five intentions that the future-oriented project should pursue: S stands for social, M for minimal, A for automatic, R for regional and T for typology – which means architecture in technical jargon.

The project should have a pioneering character for a modern and sustainable development and meet the goal of the Energy Strategy 2050, with a reduction in energy consumption per person and year, according to the description of the project. Over the entire life cycle of the building, CO2 consumption should be reduced as much as possible, thus taking into account the net zero goal of Swiss climate policy. Photovoltaic roofs are supposed to produce more electricity than the 40 households in the project consume.

This will also charge the two electric cars that will be available to tenants and can be booked via an app. In any case, community is very important in Limmergy, as can be seen from the company information. There will be a communal kitchen, a communal garden with a barbecue area and a factory lobby.

March 2021
The digitization of the co-owner assemblies
Regardless of the Corona situation, the following difficulties must be addressed and overcome, especially at STWE meetings:
- Fair communication with all stakeholders
- Compliance with legal provisions and deadlines
- High administrative effort
- Compliance with deadlines
- Creation and assignment of tasks
- Logging of the entire meeting
Digitization has also given a huge boost to solutions in this area. Accordingly, various providers are active in the market who are trying to move the analogue process into the digital world, but not all of them succeed in this with the same simplicity and slightly broad solution approach. The preselection and quality check are all the more important here. The solution from our product portfolio can be understood as plug & play due to its compatibility with various ERP formats and IT infrastructures. Due to the one-time setup and the relatively small effort, the efficiency advantages stand out even more. As soon as everything has been installed and put in place, entire processes can be digitized and comprehensively dealt with.
Hybrid, partially digitized processes are also not a problem for the solution, which is very important in view of the different willingness / IT skills of the meeting participants. In this way, all of the above difficulties can be addressed and resolved using one and the same software.
The bottom line is that, with the support of the simple solution, flexible STWE meetings can be carried out physically and / or digitally, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of the implementation as well as of the preparation and follow-up work. This means that the focus can be put back on the work steps where specialist and social skills are needed. In addition to the digitization of management, other digital solutions have come into focus, which can be seen at PropTechMarket.net.
You can find out more about this at: https://proptechmarket.net/solutions
March 2021
Swiss Prime Site defies the pandemic

According to a message from Swiss Prime Site , the Solothurn-based real estate company generated total income of CHF 792.9 million in the 2020 financial year. In the previous year, 1.26 billion Swiss francs had been booked. Swiss Prime Site attributes the decline primarily to the sale of its subsidiary Tertianum, which was completed in February 2020.

The profit from the sale was also reflected in a strong increase in the operating result (EBIT). In the year under review, 762.3 million francs were posted here, compared to 628.3 million in the previous year. Net profit increased year-on-year from 608.5 million to 610.4 million francs. Without taking into account revaluations and deferred taxes, the profit increased from 315.7 million to 476.6 million, writes Swiss Prime Site.

In 2020, the core real estate business generated a total of 431.0 million francs in rental income, 1.4 percent less than in 2019. The operating result fell year-on-year from 572.9 million to 555.0 million francs. At the same time, the value of the real estate portfolio increased by 4.7 percent to CHF 12.3 billion. Swiss Prime Site intends to make its real estate portfolio climate-neutral by 2040, explains the real estate company in the press release.

In the same announcement, the company announces a change in the group management. CFO Markus Meier decided to leave Swiss Prime Site for personal reasons, writes the real estate company. Marcel Kucher, who is currently CFO of the Peach Property Group, is to be his successor at the beginning of July. "With his broad wealth of experience in the areas of capital markets and digitization", Kucher will "optimally complement and further strengthen the management team of our group", Board member Barbara Frei-Spreiter is quoted in the announcement.

March 2021
Young Zurich architects win prizes

The canton of Zurich attracts good young architects. All three podium places of the Foundation Awards 2021 went to offices in the canton, and almost all of the award winners came from outside the country.

The Comte / Meuwly office in Zurich received first prize. The two Romands Adrien Comte and Adrien Meuwly were more interested in everyday life and nameless architecture than in building icons, the jury wrote in its reasoning . The work of the office included an extension of a prefabricated wooden house in Geneva as well as a canopy over an old building door and sails for a buvette. "At a time when many are looking for historical references and lovely colors, this minimalist hardness and lightness is surprising and fresh," said the jury.

Angel Solanellas Terés, Camiel Van Noten and Marianne Meister met at a workshop in Antwerp and are now working together in Zurich. You won over the jury with your projects for the Brigerberg residence in Ried-Brig VS and for the Köbö studio in Zurich.

Saikal Zhunushova from the Oekofacta office in Winterthur impressed with her gentle renovation of a Flarzhaus from 1832 in the Zurich Oberland. She also involved the family of the house in the work. The architect trained in Kyrgyzstan combines suggestions from her old and new homeland in her work. She brings the Kyrgyz yurt as a garden pavilion to Switzerland and energy-saving construction projects from Switzerland to Kyrgyzstan.

The Foundation Award has been honoring young Swiss architecture firms since 2010. The award is sponsored, among others, by the cultural television art-tv.ch , the architecture magazine “Hochparterre ”, the Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel and Swissbau.

March 2021
Home ownership achieves new record prices

The prices for owner-occupied residential property rose to new highs at the end of 2020, informs Raiffeisen Switzerland in a report on the study “ Real Estate Switzerland Q1 / Q2 ”. Specifically, the analysts of the banking group observed an increase in the prices of single-family houses by 2.9 percent and of condominiums by 3.1 percent year-on-year. They expect home ownership prices to continue to rise this year as well. Martin Neff, chief economist at Raiffeisen Switzerland, is quoted in the press release: "For households that meet the affordability guidelines and equity requirements, the purchase of home ownership is and will remain an economically sensible decision from a purely cost perspective".

In the office space market, the pandemic has not yet led to falling prices either, the announcement further explains. "The test is still ahead of this market, because it is characterized by long-term rental agreements and changes to flexible working models do not take place overnight," says Neff. In the case of upcoming construction projects, however, “fundamental questions about the usefulness of a project and its chances in the post-Corona reality should be asked,” recommends the Raiffeisen chief economist.

In the niche market of residential communities (WG), however, the study authors identified clear traces of the pandemic. "The demand for rooms in shared apartments in this dynamically reacting market has literally collapsed, as our analysis of the data from the largest platform wgzimmer.ch shows," explains Neff. The proportion of Swiss people who share their apartment with one or more flatmates increased from 1.5 to 2.7 percent within ten years by 2018.

March 2021
LafargeHolcim is on course for recovery

According to a release from LafargeHolcim , the Zug-based building materials group generated total sales of CHF 23.14 billion in the 2020 financial year. In a year-on-year comparison, this corresponds to a decrease of 13.4 percent. The recurring operating profit at EBIT level was 3.68 billion Swiss francs, 10.4 percent below the previous year's figure. Consolidated profit fell by 7.5 percent compared to 2019 to 1.90 billion Swiss francs.

"2020 was an extraordinary year for everyone, which we have not yet experienced in this form", Jan Jenisch is quoted in the communication. According to the CEO, LafargeHolcim has proven its resilience during the crisis. In the fourth quarter of 2020 the company "returned to the growth path". Specifically, sales and recurring operating profit increased by 1.5 and 14.1 percent on a comparable basis compared to the previous year.

For the current year, LafargeHolcim is aiming for a growth in recurring operating income of at least 7 percent on a comparable basis. The takeover of the American manufacturer of roof systems and building envelopes, Firestone Building Products , which was announced in January, should contribute to this. As part of the acquisition, LafargeHolcim is creating a new position for global management of the Solutions & Products segment. She will be taken over by the current CEO of US Cement, Jamie Gentoso.

In order to streamline the group organization, LafargeHolcim is also merging the regions Europe and the Middle East and Africa into one region EMEA, is further explained in the press release. The current head of Middle East and Africa, Miljan Gutovic, will take over the management of EMEA. The previous head of Europe, Marcel Cobuz, has decided to leave the group, writes LafargeHolcim.

March 2021
Madaster realizes circular building

BIM Facility , GS1 and ZPF Ingenieure are the first three partners to sign an agreement with Madaster, the Swiss cadastre for materials in the built environment. "Your expertise and our platform make material data usable over the entire life cycle of buildings", managing director Marloes Fischer is quoted in a press release. "Together we can implement circular building."

BIM Facility wants to contribute to this with its modeling of building data. The Zurich-based company uses drones to create digital twins of buildings. The digital twin can be transferred directly to Madaster and a material pass can be issued.

Together with Madaster users, the non-profit organization GS1 wants to develop and implement solutions for the availability of reliable and precise data over the entire life cycle of a building, explains Uwe Rüdel, Sector Manager Technical Industries at GS1 Switzerland.

ZPF engineers from Zurich support builders and property owners in carrying out circular construction planning. They also analyze existing buildings on the basis of a material pass. According to executive board member Jaqueline Pauli, this should save raw materials.

Madaster's platform offers digital tools such as material passports and indexes on the economic and circular value of buildings. "Our job is to make materials available forever by giving them an identity on our platform," says Madaster's website. “If materials have an identity, they become a resource for reuse.” Every building is understood as a raw material store with a certain value.

March 2021
Canton sets design plan for ZHAW campus

The Technikumstrasse campus of the ZHAW in Winterthur will be comprehensively renewed within 15 years, explains the building department of the Canton of Zurich in a message . New buildings and more open space are to be created in four stages. At the same time, the Eulach will be renatured in the area of the technical center. In the first phase, two new laboratory buildings are to be built and a public park is to be set up on the Eulach.

The corresponding design plan was published from April 6 to June 8, 2020. 31 objections were received against him, mainly in questions of urban integration, the scope, development and nature conservation, informs the building management. Another 18 objections related to the renaturation of the Eulach and the definition of the water area.

The design plan and the water area have been revised based on the objections and have now been set, the message continues. Both documents and the reports on the objections have been publicly available for 30 days since February 26 and can be viewed on the Internet . If no legal remedies are taken, they will come into force at the end of March this year. Then the city of Winterthur could issue the building permit for the first stage.

March 2021
Allreal is on course despite the Corona crisis

Allreal achieved rental income of CHF 200.4 million last year, according to a statement . The company was thus able to maintain the level from the previous year despite the Corona crisis. In 2019, it had received 203.1 million francs from rents.

In the spring, Allreal stated that it was able to agree on rent waivers in connection with the lockdown with all affected tenants. In total, the company has granted rent leases amounting to 1.5 million francs.

The cumulative vacancy rate has meanwhile fallen by 0.8 percentage points to 1.4 percent despite the crisis. According to the information, it is at the lowest level that Allreal has ever reached.

The company result including the revaluation effect is 167.2 million francs after 243.2 million francs in the previous year. Excluding the revaluation effect, the company result is 124.7 million francs after 142 million francs in the previous year. Allreal explains the decline primarily with one-off effects from the sale of development properties.

According to the announcement, Allreal is satisfied with its annual result and expects overall “stable business development” in the long term. The Board of Directors is therefore proposing to the General Meeting of Shareholders a stable distribution at the previous year's level of 6.75 francs per share.

Allreal is based in Glattpark in Opfikon. The company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

March 2021
PSP Swiss Property defies the pandemic

According to a statement from PSP Swiss Property , the Zug-based real estate company generated real estate income totaling CHF 296.27 million in the 2020 financial year. Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to a growth of 2.0 percent. The operating result (EBITDA) excluding real estate successes and valuation differences amounted to CHF 271.06 million in 2020, 5.8 percent more than in 2019.

The net profit in the year under review was CHF 292.1 million, compared to CHF 453.4 million in the previous year. PSP Swiss Property attributes the decline to one-time effects. In the previous year, for example, a tax effect and the sale of two investment properties had a positive impact. In addition, the portfolio revaluation in 2019 brought in a total of CHF 244.2 million. In the year under review, the corresponding figure was 101.6 million francs.

The balance sheet value of the PSP Swiss Property portfolio as of the end of 2020 was CHF 8.577 billion. As of the 2019 reporting date, the value was 7.982 billion francs. The vacancy rate was reduced from 3.5 to 3.0 percent within a year. The real estate company provides details of the portfolio change in the notification.

For the current financial year, PSP Swiss Property is aiming for an EBITDA excluding real estate gains of around CHF 275 million. The vacancy rate is expected to increase to 4.5 percent.

February 2021
Trusttechnology equips Turin with pavilions

Turin, the capital of Piedmont, has ordered 50 of its pavilions from the Ticino start-up Trusttechnology. The aim is to equip the bars and restaurants in the so-called Murazzi buildings along the banks of the Po. A report on startupticker.ch provides information on this.

These transparent protective structures fold up automatically when required, powered by batteries, and then only take up about one square meter of space. This corresponds to the city's flood protocol: when the water level rises in the arcades and boathouses on the west bank of the Po, they can be quickly stowed away by the staff present. Their installation is planned as soon as the catering industry is allowed to reopen after the corona lockdown.

According to the announcement, the entrepreneurial journey of the now 47-year-old owner Tiziano Pili led from an advanced semester at the University of Applied Sciences South Switzerland and the Venturelab via the Tecnopolo of the Agire Foundation in Manno TI, where he founded his company. In 2014, Pili received an international patent and then the Swiss Made certification. As a finalist in the StartCup Ticino competition, he was finally accepted into the USI Startup Center of the University of Italian Switzerland .

"I believe that the solution I have designed will radically change the market for temporary protective structures outdoors," says Pili. "The ink on the contract is not dry yet, as I am already finalizing the contract negotiations with a large company near Asti that would also like to invest in this solution."

February 2021