immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Immovation

  • Industrial site in Serrières becomes Neuchâtel Innovation Park

    Industrial site in Serrières becomes Neuchâtel Innovation Park

    In collaboration with the Caisse cantonale d’assurance populaire and the Etablissement cantonal d’assurance et de prévention, the State and the City of Neuchâtel have acquired an industrial complex on Rue des Usines in Serrières. The aim is to develop and operate a new innovation centre there. To this end, the public limited company Usinnove SA was founded, in which the state holds a 40% stake and the City of Neuchâtel 20%. The remaining shares are held by CCAP and ECAP. The industrial complex covers an area of 7,000 m² and can create almost 400 new jobs.

    Central role of Microcity SA
    The new site will be managed and operated by Microcity SA. A centre of excellence for diagnostics and related technologies is to be set up, serving as a hub for companies in the fields of diagnostics and automation. Part of the complex will be converted into a business centre equipped with laboratory infrastructure and offering a collaborative project environment for large companies, SMEs and start-ups.

    Strengthening the Neuchâtel innovation cluster
    The acquired industrial complex is intended to further strengthen Neuchâtel’s position in the Swiss Innovation Park. The Serrières site offers potential for the expansion of Neuchâtel’s innovation cluster and will secure an industrial location in the long term. Neuchâtel will thus expand its offering and consolidate its position as an innovation centre.

    Strategic use of old buildings
    The purchase of the industrial complex is part of the state’s strategy to utilise old buildings for light industrial activities. This policy aims to bring start-ups, SMEs, large companies and research centres together on one site in order to meet the economic challenges facing the canton. Similar projects have already been realised at the sites Rue Jaquet-Droz 7 in Neuchâtel and Hôtel-de-Ville 7 in Le Locle, which are also home to cutting-edge applied research activities.

    An important step for Neuchâtel
    The acquisition of the industrial complex in Serrières and the planned transformation into an innovation centre are an important step for the economic development of Neuchâtel. The close cooperation between the state, the city and institutional partners will strengthen the region and create the basis for future innovations.

  • A world centre for internationality and innovation

    A world centre for internationality and innovation

    Geneva plays a central role on the international stage, not only as the home of the United Nations and nearly 400 NGOs, but also as the headquarters of numerous multinationals, particularly in the fields of research and development. This position underlines Geneva’s importance as a global centre for international cooperation, supported by an academic landscape that is among the best in the world.

    Excellence in infrastructure
    As one of the most business-friendly cities in Europe, Geneva has an excellent infrastructure that attracts international conferences and business travellers. Geneva International Airport, just a few minutes from the city centre, offers direct flights to some 150 destinations worldwide. The well-developed international rail network, including the TGV, which reaches Paris in just three hours, and the Léman Express, Europe’s largest regional rail network, considerably enhances Geneva’s accessibility.

    Promoting multilateral discussions
    Geneva hosts major international discussions, from the United Nations to world economic forums and the International Committee of the Red Cross. These discussions are part of Geneva’s heritage and reflect the city as a crossroads for international negotiations and arbitration. Here, the World Intellectual Property Organisation documents the many innovations that have emerged from local research and development centres.

    Sustainable urban development
    In addition to its role as an international centre, Geneva is setting new standards in sustainable urban development. A subsidy programme with a budget of CHF 500 million is aimed at accelerating the energy renovation of buildings and meeting climate targets. This commitment shows that Geneva is striving to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and supports private and public property owners in modernising their real estate.
    Geneva is an impressive demonstration of how a city can be both a centre of international politics and economics and a centre for promoting sustainable development. Thanks to this dual role, Geneva is strengthening its position as a place where global challenges are tackled innovatively and effectively.

  • New wooden apartment blocks with innovative TS3 technology

    New wooden apartment blocks with innovative TS3 technology

    It only takes a few minutes’ drive to separate Zurich city centre from Zollikerberg, a part of the village of Zollikon. Having just stood on Sechseläutenplatz in front of the opera house, wide meadows and self-picking fields open up shortly afterwards. Just a stone’s throw away from Forchstrasse, which directly links the town and the countryside, two wooden apartment blocks were completed last year – on the site of a farm that is still inhabited and farmed.

    Harmony between tradition and modernity
    Sheep used to graze regularly on the estate’s large meadow. Today, two four-storey buildings with a total of 22 rental flats tower above the grass. The two apartment blocks form a harmonious ensemble, which could possibly be supplemented by a third building at a later date, should densification be required. At the start of planning, it was not yet clear whether the buildings would be timber or solid construction. The clients had not made any specific specifications when they announced a private competition in 2018. However, chance favoured timber construction: the Zurich-based firm Merkli Degen Architekten, which was invited to take part in the competition and won, was working with Timbatec AG at the time. Together with the University of Applied Sciences Biel and ETH Zurich, the well-known Swiss engineering firm was developing a new connection technology to bridge larger spans with cross-laminated timber panels – without beams or additional intermediate supports.

    The future of construction
    In future, it should therefore be possible to achieve with wood what was previously only possible with reinforced concrete. TS3 connection technology was still in its infancy in 2018, but is now well established. Solid timber panels that can form entire floor slabs open up completely new possibilities for timber construction.
    “It was purely by chance that we became aware of TS3,” explains Ueli Degen, one of the founders of Merkli Degen Architekten. “We were originally talking to the engineers at Timbatec about another timber construction project.”

    They told us about the development of their latest connection system and presented us with an example. This ground-breaking technology has stayed with us ever since. At some point, we came up with the idea of using TS3 for the construction project in Zollikerberg. Before deciding whether to use timber or solid construction, thorough investigations and comparisons were carried out. In the end, the timber design prevailed, which was later realised by the company Holzbau Oberholzer GmbH. By using a timber building, it was possible to create a harmonious connection to the existing farmhouse, which is also made of wood.

    The combination of a timber construction with TS3 technology also promised to be an economically attractive solution that would also significantly shorten the construction time. Nevertheless, it took a while before the clients decided in favour of timber construction. Five years ago, when the buildings were planned, a lot of persuasion was still needed to push through a timber construction of this size.