Tag: Liegenschaften

  • Glarus North mobilises building land – opportunities for investors and developers

    Glarus North mobilises building land – opportunities for investors and developers

    The municipality of Glarus North has given the go-ahead for a comprehensive mobilisation of municipal land. The focus is on sites in Filzbach and Oberurnen. This initiative follows the newly defined guidelines for the allocation of building land and properties and emphasises the municipality’s commitment to sustainable and needs-based development.

    Attractive plots on offer
    Specifically, three plots of building land in the residential zone in Filzbach are being advertised for sale. In Oberurnen, the 5,084 m² Schranerwiese in the work zone is being allocated under building rights. These plots offer a wide range of opportunities for residential and commercial projects and are therefore of interest to a broad spectrum of investors and developers.

    Transparent and structured process
    The tendering process is clearly defined and transparent. Interested parties can find all relevant documents on the municipal website (www.glarus-nord.ch) and in the official gazette of the Canton of Glarus. A registration form is available for applications, which ensures a fair and objective evaluation based on the defined award criteria.
    The closing date for applications is 30 May at 16:00.

    Focus on future-oriented development
    The mobilisation of building zone areas is a central component of Glarus Nord’s new land use planning. The municipality is thus consistently implementing the requirements of the Spatial Planning Act and creating the conditions for orderly and future-oriented development. The continuous tendering of municipal land makes an important contribution to strengthening the location and creating attractive living and working space.

  • Future-oriented heat supply in Zurich’s inner-city neighbourhoods

    Future-oriented heat supply in Zurich’s inner-city neighbourhoods

    In a strategic initiative to decarbonise the energy supply, the city of Zurich is identifying key districts in which the conventional heat supply is to be replaced by sustainable alternatives. Despite the challenge that locally available, renewable energy sources such as heat pumps are not sufficient to meet demand, a comprehensive study has identified possible solutions.

    Concept for densely built-up urban areas
    The Hard, Wiedikon and Sihlfeld-Werd neighbourhoods in particular are the focus of energy planning. These areas, which cover around seven per cent of the city’s settlement area, require an innovative approach due to their dense perimeter block development. The supply concept developed envisages the construction of thermal networks, which will account for around a quarter of the city’s new installations by 2040.

    New combined heat and power plants required
    To cover the calculated heat demand of 282 GWh/year, high-performance heating plants are required, comparable to the capacity of the existing Hagenholz waste incineration plant. Additional boilers are used to cover the peak load, which is particularly necessary on extremely cold days.

    Modular expansion and innovative heat sources
    The concept includes the use of diversified energy sources such as wastewater heat, river water, wood biomass and waste heat from computer centres, which is generated outside the supply area and fed into the neighbourhoods via a new main network. Implementation will be carried out in modular steps, with independent distribution centres being built in a timely manner to ensure that end consumers are connected quickly.

    The planning and implementation of this forward-looking project is now required in order to connect the first properties to the grid early in the 2030s. The replacement of the current 1,500 fossil-fuelled heating systems in these areas will make a decisive contribution to achieving Zurich’s climate targets.

  • Urdorf municipal council approves framework for energy network

    Urdorf municipal council approves framework for energy network

    Energie 360° is planning an energy network in Urdorf based on CO2-free energy sources. The municipal council decided on the framework conditions for the implementation at its meeting on 26 February, as detailed in a press release. The energy network includes the suitability areas of Zentrum and Oberurdorf, as identified in the municipal energy plan. This is intended to support the desired transformation from fossil fuels to climate-friendly energy sources for heat production and thus the “net zero 2050” target.

    The planned plant will produce heat using sustainable energy sources such as burning wood chips, thereby reducing the environmental impact by around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The existing natural gas network is to be replaced in the medium term on the basis of Energie 360°’s transformation strategy. The first connections are planned for autumn 2026, according to the press release.

    The municipality of Urdorf’s involvement in the realisation of the planned district heating network is limited to the granting of a long-term building lease on part of the municipality’s own “Lätten” property for the construction of the necessary energy centre with an energy storage facility and permission to use public land. The realisation, financing and operation will be carried out entirely by Energie 360°, the statement continues. The municipality bears no entrepreneurial risk.

    Any realisation of the energy centre on the municipality’s own land will be based on a building lease to be granted to Energie 360°. The municipal council has approved this contract for an initial term of 50 years in accordance with the authority regulations of the municipal ordinance and cantonal requirements.

  • Lucerne wants to be free of fossil fuels by 2035

    Lucerne wants to be free of fossil fuels by 2035

    The city administration of Lucerne wants to free itself from fossil fuel consumption by 2035. According to a press release from the city, the first step is to replace around 200 service vehicles from petrol and diesel with electric drives by 2030. By the target year of 2035, the heating systems and hot water supplies in the city’s 150 or so properties are also to be converted from oil or gas firing to renewable systems such as heat pumps. Photovoltaic systems are to generate electricity on the roofs of these buildings. This could cover 35 to 40 per cent of the city’s current demand.

    In a recent report, the administration was already able to point to 65 converted properties in the conversion of heating systems that began five years ago. The aim of the heating system conversion is to emit a total of 3300 tonnes less CO2 from 2035. The costs of the conversion are estimated at around CHF 60 million.

    “We are not only calling on other property owners to take action, we are also getting involved ourselves,” Katja Dürst, Head of the Environmental Protection Department, is quoted as saying in the press release.

  • Kriens electricity suppliers realise heating network

    Kriens electricity suppliers realise heating network

    The two electricity suppliers to the town of Kriens, Energie Wasser Luzern(ewl) and Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke(CKW), are also becoming heating suppliers: according to a press release, the Kriens town council has decided in favour of the Kriens heating network consortium with ewl and CKW following a public tender for the construction and planning of a heating network.

    The heating network will help to supply additional properties in Kriens, namely the Obernau, centre and Kupferhammer-Kehrhof areas, with thermal energy. According to the city council, this is in line with the goals of the city’s climate strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by 2045.

    According to the information provided, the winning project assures Kriens a high level of territorial coverage and provides for transitional solutions that guarantee the population a high degree of planning security for the changeover in their heat supply. CKW and ewl are planning their project with a broad mix of different renewable energy sources, including regional wood. According to City Councillor Maurus Frey, this will create an attractive offer “so that together we can take a step towards our climate targets”.

    In the upcoming construction work in Hergiswaldstrasse, the renovation work is to be carried out at the same time as the pipeline construction for the heating network, if possible. The city and ARGE intend to announce further details once the legally prescribed deadlines have expired.

  • Avobis sees positive trend in residential yield property for 2024

    Avobis sees positive trend in residential yield property for 2024

    In its Outlook 2024, real estate service provider Avobisanticipatesa favourable trend for residential yield properties. The forecast for 2024 is consistently positive, according to a press release. According to the forecast, the attractiveness of residential investment property is likely to increase again in anticipation of lower interest rates and due to positive fundamental factors, and buyers are likely to show greater interest. This is expected to lead to a revitalisation of liquidity on the transaction market.

    Despite a revitalised market dynamic, general price increases are not foreseeable in the near future. Institutional investors, who have supported the buyer side in recent years, could increasingly act as sellers. This is also due to the increased sustainability requirements. According to Avobis, environmentally conscious reorganisation of portfolios is leading to properties being sold and more sustainable properties being acquired instead.

    This could also be accompanied by a certain degree of volatility. Such market conditions would create opportunities that could be of interest to attentive investors. In the current market environment, residential property reportedly offers a wide range of attractive investment opportunities, from simple buy-to-rent models to construction and promotion through to the realisation of profitable usage concepts.

  • New, diverse urban quarter in Wetzikon

    New, diverse urban quarter in Wetzikon

    SISKA Immobilien plans to replace the existing property with a building with public-oriented uses on the ground floors and flats above. The next step will be to adopt the urban development model this autumn. Based on this, a private partial design plan will be drawn up as a basis for the project planning of the centre superstructure over two plots. Completion of the residential and commercial building at the western gateway to the city centre is planned for around 2029.

    The Unterwetzikon district of Wetzikon is undergoing a dynamic transformation and growth phase and is developing into an attractive location for housing, utilities, commerce and services.

    Wetzikon is an attractive place to live thanks to its good S-Bahn connections to Zurich and Rapperswil and the surrounding unique recreational area of the Zurich Oberland. The planned development will further enhance the attractiveness of the neighbourhood around Wetzikon railway station and become part of a new, diverse urban district with a high quality of life.

  • Cantonal properties in Riehen win sustainability award

    Cantonal properties in Riehen win sustainability award

    The properties of the Canton of Basel-Stadt at Hirtenweg 16 to 28 in Riehen have won this year’s international prize for sustainable architecture, the cantonal finance department informs in a statement. Every year, the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Ferrara and the building materials company Fassa Bortolo award the prize to projects “that are geared to the needs of people and serve as role models in the careful use of natural resources”, it continues. In this year’s competition, the cantonal properties prevailed over numerous other projects from all over the world.

    The international jury was particularly impressed by two aspects of the properties in Riehen. One was the socially acceptable densification of living space. Of the five buildings already on the plot, the canton renovated three. The remaining two were demolished and replaced by three new buildings. This almost doubled the number of flats from 32 to 63.

    On the other hand, the resource-saving solid wood construction method was the decisive factor in the project realised by the project team Harry Gugger Studio AG, Erne AG Holzbau and Fontana Landschaftsarchitektur. The wooden modules were prefabricated in a production hall and then assembled on site within a very short time. During the entire construction work, the residents of the properties were able to stay on site. Residents of the deconstructed buildings moved into an already completed new building before their old house was demolished.

  • Real estate fund from Swiss Life Asset Managers generates stable income

    Real estate fund from Swiss Life Asset Managers generates stable income

    The Swiss Life REF (CH) ESG Swiss Properties real estate fund closed the first half of the 2022/23 financial year “with low vacancy rates and stable income”, Swiss Life Asset Managers announced in a statement. Specifically, income of CHF 20.26 million was realised. In addition, there was a capital gain of CHF 3.81 million from the sale of a residential portfolio consisting of five smaller apartment buildings. The rent default rate was reduced from 2.97 to 1.76 per cent compared to the end of March 2022.

    The net asset value rose year-on-year from 112.01 francs to 114.34 francs. The fund currently holds 161 properties with a total value of 2.562 billion francs. At the end of 2022, Swiss Life Asset Managers had acquired 15 properties with a total market value of CHF 242 million.

    Since the fund’s launch in November 2015, Swiss Life REF (CH) ESG Swiss Properties has posted an annualised performance of 6.04%. This means that the price performance and distributions are 2.01 percentage points above the SXI Real Estate Funds TR benchmark index, explains the asset manager, which is part of the Swiss Life Group.

  • AEW installs district heating at Mutschellen

    AEW installs district heating at Mutschellen

    The Aargau energy supplier AEW Energie has plans to build a heating centre for the Mutschellen area on the Sika factory site in Widen, according to a media release. Private and municipal consumers in the heating network around the Mutschellen Pass are to be supplied with sustainable energy via a district heating network. The communities of Widen, Berikon AG and Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg AG are connected.

    The local heating concept envisages predominantly regionally grown wood to generate the heat. The installation of modern, low-emission plant technology is intended to prevent the formation of a steam plume.

    Letters of intent have been signed with Sika Schweiz AG, the Turidomus investment foundation and other owners. The interest of the population in a district heating solution is being ascertained by means of a survey.

  • Milestone of transparency on greenhouse gas emissions of the real estate industry

    Milestone of transparency on greenhouse gas emissions of the real estate industry

    With a share of 23.9%, real estate is the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland after transport and industry. There is therefore no way around sustainable real estate to achieve the net-zero climate targets. However, you can’t tell by looking at real estate whether it is environmentally friendly or not. Labels and ratings were therefore created early on to provide information about the sustainability of real estate.

    Comparability is central
    What initially contributed a lot to the promotion and better understanding of the sustainability of real estate has meanwhile become a problem itself. The variety of labels and initiatives in the sustainability field overwhelms many market participants. Moreover, the individual ratings can hardly be compared with each other. Some ratings include several dozen indicators, so that in the end it is no longer clear what they are trying to express at all. Moreover, many investment vehicles in the real estate sector are now labelled as sustainable and apply ESG criteria, but there is no clarity as to how sustainable the respective properties are.

    The trend is towards disclosure of environmental indicators
    However, investors are demanding increasingly precise information and want to be able to compare different investment products not only in terms of returns or risks, but also in terms of sustainability. The trend today is therefore towards direct disclosure of environmental indicators, such as energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, the AMAS and KGAST associations obliged or requested their members to publish the most important key figures in the annual reports of real estate funds and real estate investment foundations with a closing date from the end of 2023.

    Why do we need a standard?
    However, calculating these key figures is anything but simple. Different values can result for the same properties, depending on the calculation method. Standardisation is therefore necessary. REIDA has taken on this task and developed a standard for determining the most important environmentally relevant key figures in the real estate sector. According to this REIDA standard, a benchmarking was carried out in 2022 with 3984 existing properties or 36 property portfolios, which have a total of almost 23 million m2 of energy reference area.

    What was measured?
    Only consumption values measured in real terms were recorded and balanced. This is a big difference to other surveys, where in many cases no consumption data is available and which therefore mostly operate with calculated values (estimates based on benchmarks). For each of the real estate portfolios, the degree of coverage is also shown together with the results. This describes the proportion of properties in the portfolio for which measured energy consumption data are available. On average, the coverage rate for all 36 portfolios is 83.1%. The disclosure of the degree of coverage also serves transparency, but is still not widespread. An analysis of the annual reports of listed real estate funds by pom+Consulting in 2022, for example, showed that only 25% of them contained quantitative information on the degree of coverage.

    Benchmarking results and their classification
    The average energy consumption in the REIDA benchmarking portfolio is 97.4 kWh per m² of energy reference area. The range is between 59 and 146 kWh/m². Special situations are probably responsible for portfolios at the lower end of the values – e.g. that single tenants purchase a lot of energy themselves, which according to the current methodology is not yet taken into account in the energy indicator. In an online survey by the University of Lausanne, which analysed 66 portfolios of institutional investors with a good 31 million m² of building space, a somewhat higher value of 105.5 kWh/m² of energy reference area was reported for the reference year 2020 – but without using a uniform calculation methodology.

    The share of renewable energy in the REIDA CO2 benchmarking is 25.8% on average, with a range of 13% to 54%. On average, the greenhouse gas emissions of the portfolios that participated in the REIDA benchmarking amount to 13.1 kg CO2 equivalents per m² energy reference area. In addition to carbon dioxide, the benchmarking also takes into account all other greenhouse gases, such as methane or nitrous oxide, and calculates CO2 equivalents (CO2e) from them. The REIDA portfolio 2022 thus achieves a very good value – with a range between 4.1 and 22.4 kg CO2e/m². The sample surveyed by the University of Lausanne achieved an average value of 19.6 kg CO2e/m². Again, due to the lack of a uniform calculation method, a direct comparison is only possible with reservations.

    Specification of uncertainty ranges
    Another achievement of the REIDA benchmarking is the specification of uncertainty ranges. This is because the consumption and emission values used as well as the calculations are always subject to uncertainties (e.g. inaccurate measurement sensors, small conversion uncertainties from lettable area to energy reference area). These uncertainties are aggregated for each portfolio and shown at the level of the key figures in the form of an uncertainty range, which indicates how reliable the key figure is. The uncertainty range is given as twice the standard deviation, which means that the actual value lies within the specified uncertainty range with a probability of 95%. For the indicator of CO2e emission intensity, the individual portfolios show uncertainty ranges from 0.3 to 5.8 kg CO2e/m².

    New standard for ESG reporting in Switzerland
    With the CO2 benchmarking, REIDA sets a new standard and thereby achieves a milestone in the ESG reporting of real estate in Switzerland. The standard will not only be continuously improved in terms of methodology and data quality, but will also cover aspects of environmental sustainability that have so far been excluded. One of the most important tasks will be to cover not only the operating phase of real estate, but also its entire life cycle, and in particular to incorporate the issue of grey energy. The addition of ratings and certificates – which have limits in terms of transparency and comparability – as well as the transition to direct reporting of the actual key performance indicators are thus in full swing.

  • WWZ geht Fernwärmenetz in Rotkreuz an

    WWZ geht Fernwärmenetz in Rotkreuz an

    WWZ leitet die Bauarbeiten für ein Fernwärmenetz im Zentrum von Rotkreuz ein, informiert der Zuger Energie-, Telekom- und Wasserversorger in einer Mitteilung. Dabei werden ab der bestehenden Fernwärmeleitung in der Waldetenstrasse weitere Quartiere im Gebiet Waldetenstrasse, Meierskappelerstrasse, Waldeggstrasse und Buonaserstrasse an den Wärmeverbund Ennetsee angeschlossen. Die Bauarbeiten sollen bis Sommer 2024 abgeschlossen sein.

    Im Wärmeverbund Ennetsee soll die gleichnamige Region im Kanton Zug mit Abwärme aus der Kehrichtverbrennungsanlage in Perlen versorgt werden. Damit könnten in den Gebieten Rotkreuz, Bösch, Hünenberg-See, Cham, Städtler Allmend und Äussere Lorzenallmend, Zug und Steinhausen jährlich rund 12’000 Tonnen CO2-Emissionen vermieden werden, erläutert WWZ in der Mitteilung. Das Unternehmen hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, „möglichst schnell viele Haushaltungen, Büros und Geschäfte des Gebietes Ennetsee mit CO2-freier Fernwärme zu versorgen, um die Abhängigkeit von fossiler Primärenergie in der Region zu reduzieren“.

    Während der Bauarbeiten wird es im Zentrum von Rotkreuz zu Änderungen in der Verkehrsführung und punktuellen Behinderungen für Verkehrsteilnehmende kommen. In der Mitteilung werden die geplanten Massnahmen detailliert beschrieben.

  • AKB Green Mortgage finances climate buildings

    AKB Green Mortgage finances climate buildings

    The Aargauische Kantonalbank ( AKB ) is expanding its mortgage product to include all environmentally friendly properties. According to the press release , since May 2nd it has been financing not only owner-occupied residential properties but also all thermally regulated investment properties as well as business and commercial properties with the certified AKB Green Mortgage. From the perspective of the cantonal bank, this is particularly interesting for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). “With the product expansion to business and commercial properties, we now also offer a sustainable, attractive financing solution for SMEs,” Patrick Küng, Head of Corporate Customers & Institutional Banking at AKB, is quoted as saying.

    With the AKB Green Mortgage, AKB promotes environmentally friendly construction activity and in this way supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, according to the cantonal bank. With terms of two to ten years, the AKB Green mortgage offers a significant interest rate advantage over the standard interest rates of conventional fixed-rate mortgages. AKB is expected to launch another Green Bond to finance the AKB Green Mortgage over the course of the year.

    The report on the effect of the Green Bond states that in 2020 and 2021 a reduction of around 490 tons of CO2 was achieved with the sustainable mortgage offer for owner-occupied residential property. That corresponds to the annual CO2 emissions of around 393 new, commercially available passenger cars.

  • «When it comes to energy, the construction and real estate industry must reinvent itself»

    «When it comes to energy, the construction and real estate industry must reinvent itself»

    Zur Person
    Pascal Bärtschi,
    Bauingenieur ETH, ist
    Vize-Präsident von
    Entwicklung Schweiz und seit 2015 CEO der Losinger Marazzi AG. Der 52-Jährige leitete zuvor bei Losinger
    Marazzi die Region Mitte (Bern-Freiburg-Basel).

    Wo sieht der Branchenverband Entwicklung Schweiz seine Kernaufgaben?
    Wir vertreten Unternehmen, die in der Lage sind, Gesamtleistungen zu übernehmen. Also solche, die von der Projektentwicklung bis und mit Realisierung alles abdecken können. Unsere Hauptaufgabe sehen wir darin, mit unseren Kunden, Investoren, den zuständigen Behörden wie auch mit politischen Verantwortlichen übergeordnete Themen wie etwa Verdichtung und Raumplanung auf einer entsprechenden Flughöhe zu besprechen. Unsere Mitglieder erhalten so die Möglichkeit, via Entwicklung Schweiz mit den zuständigen Personen in Dialog zu treten. Darüber hinaus haben wir als Verband verschiedene Positionspapiere verfasst – derzeit entsteht zum Beispiel gerade ein Positionspapier zur Frage, was man unter Qualität eines Bauprojekts versteht.

    Von welchen Vorteilen profitieren Ihre Mitglieder?
    Wir organisieren für unsere Mitglieder und assoziierte Partner regelmässig Anlässe, bei denen sie sich mit Stakeholdern wie Politikern oder Investoren austauschen können. Darüber hinaus ist es deutlich einfacher als Verband, Gespräche zu übergeordneten Themen mit Kantonen oder auch Instanzen wie zum Beispiel dem Bundesamt für Bauten und Logistik (BBL) zu führen, als wenn dies jedes Mitglied für sich tun müsste. Gerade bei regulatorischen Themen profitieren unsere Mitglieder von der direkten Schnittstelle zur Politik, die wir dank unserem Präsidenten, Ständerat Martin Schmid (FDP), haben. Er ist Rechtsanwalt und somit nicht in der Branche tätig, was wir als weiteren Vorteil sehen.

    Welchen Einfluss hat der Verband in der Schweiz und insbesondere auch in Bundes-Bern?
    Wir bieten den Ämtern, Investoren und unseren Kunden eine bewährte Schnittstelle. Ich bewerte unseren Einfluss als gut. Wir haben uns als Gesprächspartner der grossen Instanzen sehr gut etablieren können. Die Immobilienbranche ist dezentralisiert aufgestellt. Für uns ist es deshalb wichtig, dass wir nicht nur in Bern Gehör finden, sondern auch bei den Kantonen und Gemeinden. Denn ein Projekt wird von einer Gemeinde oder einem Kanton bewilligt. Dank unserem Präsidenten und den Kontakten der Geschäftsstelle haben wir einen guten Draht zu Bundes-Bern, was natürlich hilft, wenn es um Themen wie etwa das Raumplanungsgesetz geht.

    Braucht es so einen Verband zwingend für eine erfolgreiche Zukunft der Baubranche?
    Ich würde sagen, es ist wichtig und notwendig, dass ein solcher Verband existiert. Die Zahl der Schweizer Gesamtdienstleister in der Immobilienbranche ist überschaubar. Unser Verband kann diese Unternehmen optimal auf den verschiedenen Ebenen vertreten.

    Welche Verantwortung nimmt Entwicklung Schweiz in Bezug auf die Wohn- und Lebensqualität bei Bauprojekten wahr?
    Wir setzen unseren Mitgliedern keine Rahmenbedingungen. Die Wahrnehmung der Wohnqualität ist jedoch auf jeden Fall gegeben, da wir uns als Entwicklung Schweiz mit damit zusammenhängenden Themen wie Lärmschutz, Verdichtung nach innen und Raumplanung intensiv auseinandersetzen. Aber bei uns ist jedes Mitglied selbst dafür verantwortlich, die Projekte entsprechend zu entwickeln und die nötige Qualität zu liefern. Man darf nicht vergessen, dass sich die Mitglieder in einer Wettbewerbssituation befinden.

    «
    CO2-arme
    Baumaterialien, flexiblere
    Umnutzungen
    »

    Welche Bedeutung hat die Energiestrategie 2050 für den Verband?
    Die Energiestrategie hat eine grosse Bedeutung für uns. Wir versuchen, Partner und Kunden dafür zu sensibilisieren. Der CO2-Verbrauch in der Immobilien- und Baubranche ist immer noch relativ hoch. Der eine Teil fällt beim Bau an, der andere während des Lebenszyklus einer Immobilie. Geht man von einem Lebenszyklus einer Liegenschaft von 60 Jahren aus, haben Entscheidungen, die heute für einen Neubau getroffen werden, langfristige Auswirkungen. In diesem Zusammenhang wird sich die Immobilien- und Baubranche neu erfinden müssen.

    Wie meinen Sie das?
    Vor zehn Jahren fielen etwa 50 Prozent der CO2-Emmissionen bei der Herstellung der Baumaterialien sowie in der Bauphase selbst an. Die anderen 50 Prozent fielen auf den Unterhalt einer Liegenschaft. Heute sind wir, was Unterhalt und Betrieb eines Gebäudes betrifft, bei etwa einem Drittel des CO2-Ausstosses; bei der Herstellung der Baumaterialien sowie dem Bau selber bei zwei Dritteln. Wir müssen uns Gedanken machen, wie wir den CO2-Fussbadruck einer Immobilie reduzieren können. Eine Lösung besteht darin, dass man wirklich nur die für ein Gebäude notwendige Fläche bebaut. Ein anderer Ansatz ist die Wahl der Materialien – heute gibt es bereits CO2-armen Beton oder die Möglichkeit des umweltfreundlichen Holzbaus. Ausserdem müssen bestehende Strukturen später umgenutzt werden können. Schauen wir uns die Investitionen in der Immobilienbranche an, fallen 99 Prozent auf Neubauten und nur 1 Prozent geht in Sanierungen. Hier sehen wir Handlungsbedarf.

    Wie hat die Bau- und Immobilienbranche die Pandemie bis jetzt bewältigt?
    Die Baubranche ist relativ gut durchgekommen – es gab wenig Umsatzeinbussen, da die Baustellen mit Ausnahme des Kantons Genf auch während des Lockdowns offengeblieben sind. Etwas schwieriger gestaltete sich die Immobilienentwicklung. Die Entwicklung eines Projekts startet in der Regel mit einem Quartierplan und einer Baubewilligung. Die Pandemie hat vieles ausgebremst. So mussten Gemeindeversammlungen, bei denen beispielsweise über ein Vorhaben abgestimmt werden sollte, häufig verschoben werden. Damit verschiebt sich automatisch auch das Projekt. Bei der Bearbeitung der Baugesuchdossiers hat man die Verlagerung zur Arbeit im Home-Office gespürt: Der Austausch wurde erschwert; es hat alles etwas mehr Zeit in Anspruch genommen, was wiederum zu Verzögerungen geführt hat.

    Zeichnet sich beim Arbeitsleben durch die Pandemie eine Veränderung ab?
    Die Pandemie hat Tendenzen, die sich schon vorher abgezeichnet haben, beschleunigt. Ein Beispiel hierfür ist die pro Person weniger benötigte Bürofläche. Bei der Konzeption von Wohnungen dürfte die Berücksichtigung des immer öfter benötigten Home-Office langfristig Einfluss haben. Wobei dies nicht zwingend in einem zusätzlichen Arbeitszimmer in der Wohnung selber resultieren muss. Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass man innerhalb eines Quartiers verschiedene kleine Co-Working-Spaces entwickelt. Diese könnten auch Mischnutzungen aufweisen, also beispielsweise über Mittag als Restaurant fungieren.

    Wohnen die Menschen in der Romandie anders als in der Deutschschweiz?
    Die Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte werden zurzeit in der Romandie noch weniger wahrgenommen als in der Deutschschweiz. Ich vermute, das kommt daher, dass die grünen Tendenzen zunächst aus Deutschland kamen und somit zuerst die Deutschschweiz erreicht haben. Auch im Bereich des Öffentlichen Verkehrs hat die Deutschschweiz einen gewissen Vorsprung – wobei die Romandie hier am Aufholen ist.

    Welche Meilensteine hat Entwicklung Schweiz in den letzten Jahren erreicht?
    Der wichtigste Punkt ist sicher, dass wir heute etablierte Ansprechpartner für übergeordnete Themen auf Stufe Kantone und Bund sind.

  • The city of Schlieren is adopting an economic strategy for the first time and, more recently, a new real estate strategy

    The city of Schlieren is adopting an economic strategy for the first time and, more recently, a new real estate strategy

    Albert Schweizer has been in the service of the City of Schlieren as Head of Real Estate and Head of Location Promotion since 1998. He has 40 years of construction and real estate experience and a master’s degree in real estate management from the St. Gallen University of Applied Sciences in 2004. His successful dual role is reflected in his 23 years of activity, sometimes with the settlement and establishment of the clusters Bio-Technopark Schlieren , the support association for startups: Start-Smart-Schlieren , the establishment of the Institute for Young Enterprises , the national headquarters of Mercedes-Benz Switzerland AG , Porsche Center , Strabag Switzerland , Sika Bau AG , Sony Switzerland and around 200 other small and medium-sized SMEs whose founding and relocation he personally managed.

    Probably the biggest milestone for Albert Schweizer is the new Schlierem economic strategy 2025 with comprehensive documentation (city council resolution of June 2, 2021) and the new real estate strategy 2035 published by the city council on November 17, 2021.

  • Timber construction project for the Rockwell area

    Timber construction project for the Rockwell area

    The Aarau Aeschbachquartier with 167 rental apartments, 92 condominiums, the Aeschbachhalle and the Oehlerpark as well as 4600 square meters of commercial space is being expanded. A large part of the Rockwell area, which belongs to the western part of Torfeld Süd, will be linked to the existing quarter. This is made possible because Rockwell Automation GmbH is largely giving up operations there. Only research and development will remain at the site.

    The owner of the area, Mobimo Management AG, invited five architecture firms to participate in a study. The specifications were defined as follows: The project is to be carried out in wood and meet the SNBS Gold standard. The client also wanted a clear contrast to the existing and planned properties in Torfeld Süd.
    Baumberger & Stegmeier Architects from Zurich emerged victorious from the process. In collaboration with Hoffmann Müller Landschaftsarchitekten and Pirmin Jung Holzbauingenieur, your project provides for an extension of the historic Hall 5. This is supplemented by a courtyard-like new building in the desired timber construction and a spacious square. This creates 110 barrier-free rental apartments of various sizes. In addition, alternative forms of living such as cluster apartments and five commercial units are planned. The timber construction is also consistently implemented inside the property. Several green areas and trees are distributed over the site and take up the vision of the Aeschbach district – that of an «Urban Village».

    The first groundbreaking should take place in mid-2023. Completion is scheduled for mid-2025.

  • Investis acquires Rohr AG

    Investis acquires Rohr AG

    Investis Holding AG specializes in properties in the Lake Geneva region and real estate services throughout Switzerland. To strengthen the second business area, the Zurich real estate company took over Rohr AG on March 12th, Investis explains in a press release . The Aargau building service provider offers special and facade cleaning, maintenance cleaning, integral building management as well as the construction and operation of clean rooms. The two partners have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

    "This company is an ideal addition to our existing subsidiaries in the facility services sector", Walter Eberle, Head of Real Estate Services at Investis, is quoted in the press release. "With the acquisition, we will continue to expand our services and strengthen our national awareness in the market." Eberle also wants to use the synergies and opportunities for further development resulting from the takeover.

    Rohr AG has around 1000 employees and generated sales totaling 41 million francs in the 2020 financial year, the announcement further explains. The Aargau company will also operate under the umbrella of Investis Holdung as an independent company under the existing name.

  • Primeo Energie is building a new heating center in Allschwil

    Primeo Energie is building a new heating center in Allschwil

    According to a media release , Primeo Energie is building a new underground heating center for the existing heating network between the indoor swimming pool and the music school in Neuallschwil. The foundation stone was officially laid on Wednesday. The system is operated with two wood-burning boilers with an output of 840 kilowatts each. In addition, a heat pump uses the environmental heat and waste heat from the indoor pool. This generates 80 percent of the energy required. The plant will go into operation in early summer 2021.

    "The community and Primeo Energie are setting another example for a renewable, CO2-neutral heating supply", said Nicole Nüssli-Kaiser, President of the City Council. "With this central heating system, we not only heat the school building, but also enable the entire district to rely on renewable thermal energy."

    This new heating center is another piece of the puzzle in the heating network, the message goes on to say. It will be connected by a pipeline to the heating network, which is also primarily fired with wood chips, at the old people's center at Bachgraben. This enabled synergies to be used between the two district heating networks. Further properties are to be connected to the network. By merging several centers, security of supply will also be increased.