immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Westschweiz

  • New fast-charging stations for better electromobility in western Switzerland

    New fast-charging stations for better electromobility in western Switzerland

    The Europe-wide fast charging station specialist Electra and the property asset manager Procimmo from Renens are working together to expand the charging infrastructure in French-speaking Switzerland. The two companies have started a corresponding collaboration, Electra announced in a press release. As a first step, two fast-charging stations will be installed in Aubonne VD and Gland VD.

    The fast-charging station in the Outlet Aubonne shopping centre is being implemented by the Procimmo Real Estate SICAV – Industrial fund. The Procimmo Real Estate SICAV – Commercial PK fund is responsible for the fast-charging station at the Gland BackStage Pub in Gland. The first two charging points have been in operation since December 2024, with two more to follow this quarter.

    Electra, based in Paris, is represented in Switzerland by Electra Charging Switzerland AG in Zurich. Together with Procimmo, “we can network Western Switzerland even better and thus upgrade important and central locations with charging stations”, says Alessandro Inderbitzin, General Manager Electra Switzerland & Austria, in the press release. Procimmo CEO Arno Kneubühler, for his part, sees the collaboration with the specialist for fast-charging stations “as a significant step towards expanding and complementing our portfolio with Electra’s strong services”. With their partnership, the two companies want to respond to the increasing demand for fast-charging stations in Switzerland. For Procimmo, the commitment also represents a contribution to an electrified Switzerland.

  • New projects for decarbonisation of the gas industry to start in 2025

    New projects for decarbonisation of the gas industry to start in 2025

    EPFL and the French-speaking Swiss gas supplier Gaznat have signed a framework agreement to expand their collaboration, according to a press release. This provides for three calls for tenders for research and development projects that can make a significant contribution to a clean gas supply. The first call is scheduled for early 2025.

    The winning projects will be selected by a scientific advisory board consisting of four representatives from both sides. These include Gaznat CEO Gilles Verdan, Wendy Lee Queen and Yasmine Calisesi from the EPFL Energy Centre and EPFL Vice President Edouard Bugnion. A programme manager will coordinate the tenders and support the selected projects.

    EPFL and Gaznat have already jointly financed 17 projects in three calls for proposals. Gaznat opened its innovation lab in Aigle in 2023.

    Gaznat, based in Lausanne, procures and transports gas for partner companies in western Switzerland. The company aims to make its supply climate-neutral by 2050. “Thanks to our research and development collaboration with EPFL, we are getting closer to our goal of climate neutrality and can decarbonise our industry,” Gaznat Chairman of the Board of Directors René Bautz and CEO Gilles Verdan are quoted as saying in the press release.

  • Integral expands from Schlieren into western Switzerland

    Integral expands from Schlieren into western Switzerland

    Schlieren-based Integral design-build AG opened a branch office in Lausanne on Tuesday, 2 May. According to a media release, the office in French-speaking Switzerland will operate under the name Integral design-build SA. The head of the new branch is Régis Cornaz, who will set up the branch together with Aurélie Bischoff as assistant project manager. Both were most recently employed at the real estate management company Steiner SA.

    Integral is part of the Halter Group. The construction and real estate group Halter AG has its headquarters at JED in Schlieren. The new working landscape of Halter AG and its sister companies at the move to JED was realised by Integral design-build.

    In addition to the design of working environments, the company also offers a general range of services for interior design. This ranges from workspace management and design to turnkey handover. Integral takes over all phases of the development, planning and realisation of working environments, the company says. With the maximum use of digital processes and 3D tools, the new working environments are visualised and a smooth planning and construction process is ensured.

    The company was founded in 2016 as W21 Innenausbau AG by Peter Pfiffner – owner of Pfiffner AG in Altstetten ZH – and Michael Peter. Today, as a sister company of Halter AG, Integral has employees in the areas of architecture, design and execution. According to the company, it manages projects throughout Switzerland.

  • Strabag opens first site in western Switzerland

    Strabag opens first site in western Switzerland

    The construction company Strabag AG from Schlieren is expanding into western Switzerland. A new site was opened in Morges on the northern shore of Lake Geneva on Wednesday, 12 April. According to a press release, the company will offer special civil engineering services, including excavation work, large and small-scale drilling, sheet piling, dewatering and well construction.

    The first project to be realised is the Viaduc de Malley tramway project for Tramway Lausannois. Strabag is laying the foundations for the piers and abutments of the rail track. For this, 32 large bore piles with a diameter of 130 centimetres and a depth of up to 17 metres are being installed.

    “With the expansion of our special civil engineering to Morges, we are extending our reach and competencies to western Switzerland. Close local cooperation with clients and partners is planned,” Günter Moser, technical director of Strabag AG, is quoted as saying. The construction company already has 20 locations in German-speaking Switzerland. The parent company Strabag SE is active worldwide, with a focus on Europe, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region, Africa and Australia.

    Enquiries from French-speaking Switzerland have increased recently, according to Strabag. “We have already carried out a number of projects in the region in the past and have positioned ourselves successfully,” Mike Albinus, commercial division manager for special civil engineering, is quoted as saying.

  • Implenia wins two large and complex real estate projects in western Switzerland

    Implenia wins two large and complex real estate projects in western Switzerland

    New Kyoto office building in the Green Village in Geneva

    The Swiss Life Investment Foundation has commissioned Implenia as general contractor to construct the Kyoto office building in the new Green Village district on the grounds of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. The project has a total volume of more than CHF 60 million and will be around
    take two years. Implenia's Real Estate Division has been commissioned to develop the Green Village district, and Implenia's Buildings Division has already realized the Montreal residential building. The Kyoto office building has ten floors, including the ground floor, which will be partially converted at the request of the future tenant. Sustainability plays into the development of the Green
    Village plays a central role, so the new building is aiming for SNBS certification. The project was planned with BIM and executed with Lean Construction.

    New residential and commercial building on Alleestrasse in Biel

    As the general contractor, Implenia is constructing two new replacement buildings with five full floors in the Brühlstrasse Süd area in Biel for the client Meili Unternehmungen AG. A total of 105 rental apartments and service areas on the ground floor facing the street are planned to a high architectural standard. The project resulted from a study commissioned by Meili Unternehmungen AG and won by the architects Bart & Buchhofer AG. The solid construction with a rear-ventilated wooden facade is created with geothermal probes, a heat pump and a large-scale photovoltaic system. The project has a total volume of CHF 42 million and will last around two and a half years.

  • Zurich remains at the top of the Swiss city ranking

    Zurich remains at the top of the Swiss city ranking

    The magazine “ Bilanz ” has published this year’s ranking of the quality of life in Swiss cities. Zurich took first place again and, according to the report , has been the undisputed leader for eleven years. The cities of Zug and Bern took second and third place, followed by Winterthur, Basel and Geneva.

    The city ranking was created by the real estate experts from Wüest Partner for the business magazine “Bilanz” based on several indicators for the quality of life in cities, for example in the areas of the job market, education, leisure and shopping. A total of 162 cities were rated in this way.

    According to the article by “Bilanz”, it hardly seems possible for other cities to break into the absolute top group. In the top 10, only the canton’s capital, Aarau, lost two places and fell from 6th to 8th place. When asked whether other cities even had a chance of making it into the top group, Patrick Schnorf from Wüest Partner was quoted as saying: “It’s impossible It doesn’t.” For example, St.Gallen, which currently ranks 11th, has a chance if the city could increase its educational and cultural offerings as well as its population growth.

    According to Schnorf, Bassersdorf ZH is a counter-example, which has slipped back eleven places. “Compared to other cities, Bassersdorf has not developed as quickly, for example in terms of education and culture,” Schnorf is quoted as saying. According to the ranking, the two economic regions of Zurich and Lake Geneva are the most liveable.

    Since there are only four cities in the top 30 from western Switzerland and Lugano, one in Ticino, it must be said that the overall quality of life in German-speaking Switzerland is higher.

  • Steiner Group: Pleasing annual result for 2021/2022

    Steiner Group: Pleasing annual result for 2021/2022

    At the beginning of 2020, Steiner AG announced the transformation of the business model with a focus on real estate development. The company was able to complete the first year of transformation on March 31, 2022 with very good results. In the year under review, the Steiner Group achieved consolidated sales according to Swiss GAAP FER of CHF 763.6 million. The business activities resulted in an extraordinary operating result of CHF 49.7 million before taxes and interest.

    In the fiscal year from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, Steiner AG was able to record solid growth in all key areas of its core business. In addition to the strong real estate development business, the high level of construction activity at the TU/GU in western Switzerland also delivered a robust result. Profits from the sale of condominiums and developed projects to investors with a total market value on completion of CHF 880 million also contributed to the pleasing result. At the same time, new development projects with a projected market value upon completion of around CHF 1.5 billion were acquired. The development portfolio of ongoing real estate developments at Steiner AG has thus continued to grow and now amounts to CHF 6.4 billion.

  • Steiner remains on course for growth

    Steiner remains on course for growth

    According to a statement by the Steiner Group , the Zurich real estate company generated sales totaling CHF 763.6 million in the 2021/22 financial year, which ended on March 31, 2022. At the same time, the operating result before taxes and interest reached an exceptionally high value of CHF 49.7 million. The real estate service provider, which specializes in project development and implementation, has achieved “solid growth in all key areas of its core business”.

    Specifically, the report mentions a strong real estate development business, a high level of construction activity by the group’s total and general contractor in western Switzerland and profits from the sale of condominiums and developed projects. The group has thus completed its first year of transformation after the decision to focus on real estate development at the beginning of 2020 “with a very good result”, writes Steiner.

    In the year under review, Steiner was able to acquire new development projects with a forecast market value upon completion of around CHF 1.5 billion. Steiner explains that this has increased the group’s development portfolio to a volume of CHF 6.4 billion.

  • Privera appoints new management of the Western Switzerland region

    Privera appoints new management of the Western Switzerland region

    Gabriel Vonlanthen has been in charge of the west management region since May 1, 2022. Mr. Vonlanthen is a real estate manager with a federal license. Specialist certificate and has been with PRIVERA as branch manager in Geneva since May 18, 2021.

    Gabriel Vonlanthen brings a wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of the real estate market in the region around Lake Geneva and throughout French-speaking Switzerland. He has an impressive track record both in supporting institutional real estate owners and in the implementation of corporate projects.

    “With Gabriel Vonlanthen we have a new regional manager for the management of western Switzerland, who not only has extensive experience in the real estate industry, but also knows PRIVERA very well,” says Andrea Wegmüller, COO of PRIVERA. Management of the German-speaking part of Switzerland is managed directly by Mr. Wegmüller.

  • PropTechs in western Switzerland

    PropTechs in western Switzerland

    Prize de l’innovation

    At the beginning of April, RENT Switzerland 2022 will take place at the Swiss Tech Convention Center of the EPFL in Lausanne. proptechnews.ch will be there and will report later on the event. As part of the Prix de l’innovation, the nine companies selected for the final introduce themselves:

    • Digital solutions: ecco2 building intelligence, sparrow, DOMO
    • Solutions construction: auprès de mon arbre, FenX, AETERNUM enabling circular buildings
    • Solutions énergétiques: enerdrape, ExerGo, STEEN sustainable energy

    ePotek is realigning itself

    Let’s stay in western Switzerland, where Prop/FinTech ePotek is realigning itself. The platform is now called Resolve . As CEO Romain Desquesne told my dear friend Mathias Rinka from domblick.eu, Resolve aims to become the reference partner in Switzerland for optimized financial decisions relating to mortgage financing. The name was changed and new services were developed. The aim is to mutate from startup ePotek to scaleup Resolve.

    Stena joins Swiss Immo Lab

    Stena, one of Sweden’s largest family companies with global activities in shipping, ferries, offshore, real estate and finance, has joined Swiss Immo Lab (SIL) as the fifth founding partner through its Swiss subsidiary. Andy Böhm, Managing Director at Stena (Switzerland), became a member of the Board of Directors of SIL, and Per Hellberg, Investment Director at Stena (Switzerland), became a member of the Investment Committee of SIL. Stena Property owns and operates more than 25,700 residential properties and 4,000 commercial premises in Swedish metropolitan areas.

    “With Stena (Switzerland), Swiss Immo Lab has found a fifth founding partner who ideally complements the expertise of the four others and brings an international perspective,” says Alexander Seel, Managing Director of Swiss Immo Lab. “Having established our track record, we are now working on the next step to bring proptech investing to a broader international investor base,” he adds.

    Coop works with hausheld.ch

    Coop Bau + Hobby works together with hausheld.ch . A craftsman service for Coop’s DIY store customers is to be launched together. Herisauer Vermando AG is behind hausheld.ch. The customer buys the products such as floor coverings, paints, plants or lamps from Coop Bau + Hobby and can then have these professionally installed by the craftsmen who have been provided.

    PropTechs in western Switzerland.

    Selected events

    From 18th to 20th March 2022 the Zurich Real Estate Days will open in the Kongresshaus.

    On March 24, 2022, Alpha IC Schweiz AG invites you to the Office Lab in Zurich-Altstetten on the subject of “The Swiss FM market 2022”.

    Anyone who wants to face a large audience will get their money’s worth at the REAL PropTech Pitches 2022 . These will take place digitally and on site on April 6th and 7th, 2022.

    If Germany is too far away for you, you can make a pilgrimage to Lausanne. RENT Switzerland 2022 will take place there from April 6th to 7th. RENT SWITZERLAND 2022 will take place at EPFL’s SwissTech Convention Center , a symbol of innovation.

    Swissbau has been postponed to May 2022. Between May 4th and 6th, startups will present themselves as part of the “Swissbau Challenge”.

    The Big Handshake will take place on June 21, 2022 in the event hall JED in Schlieren.

    On September 13, 2022, The HALL will host the 8th Real Estate Summit in Dübendorf.

  • Allreal increases corporate profit

    Allreal increases corporate profit

    In the 2021 financial year, Allreal achieved a company result that was significantly higher than in the previous year, the real estate company with its own general contractor informed in a press release . Specifically, Allreal reported a profit of CHF 182.6 million, compared to CHF 167.2 million in 2020. Excluding the revaluation effect on the real estate portfolio, a profit of CHF 133.3 million was realized.

    In the real estate division, Allreal achieved “an excellent result” in the year under review, the press release goes on to explain. The company from Opfikon emphasizes the expansion of its portfolio in western Switzerland as a growth driver. He increased the market value of the investment properties to CHF 5.11 billion. In addition, rental income increased year-on-year by CHF 4 million to CHF 204.4 million.

    In general contracting, a profit of 53.4 million francs was realized in 2021, compared to 46.6 million francs in the previous year. Here the company benefited “from high sales success”, writes Allreal. The completed project volume, on the other hand, developed “less dynamically than expected”, as in 2020. The division’s result, at CHF 13.8 million, was nevertheless CHF 6 million higher than in the previous year.

    Allreal writes that the backlog of around CHF 694 million secured at the end of the year will ensure capacity utilization for around two years. For the current fiscal year, the company is assuming rising real estate income and further growth in the operating result.

  • French-speaking Swiss live louder

    French-speaking Swiss live louder

    At every third residential address in Geneva, people have to endure a noise level of more than 60 decibels. It is as loud as a lawnmower ten meters away, according to a press release . This noise can still be heard even with the windows closed.

    On the other hand, people in German-speaking Switzerland live the most quietly, namely in the cities of Bern, Winterthur and Aarau, as the real estate research of Zürcher Kantonalbank lists. For its analysis, the financial institute examined every residential building in Switzerland for its exposure to road noise.

    It also came out that the street noise leads to rent discounts of 320 million francs annually. Geneva has the highest rent reduction with CHF 40 million, Zurich follows in second place with a financial loss of CHF 28 million.

    Because even if Zurich is in the middle in terms of noise pollution, thousands of apartments along the main traffic arteries are still affected by a high noise level, according to the press release. “So street noise will remain a burning issue in housing policy in the canton of Zurich.”

    According to real estate research by Zürcher Kantonalbank, prices for private homes will also rise this year. Prospective buyers can expect 6 percent more, and in the canton of Zurich even an increase of 7.5 percent. The demand for one’s own four walls in the corona pandemic is driving.

    Searchers find fewer and fewer advertisements in the relevant property search portals on the Internet. According to a press release, the number of sales advertisements in the canton of Zurich on the Homegate brokerage platform has fallen by more than 30 percent since 2019. Reason: Brokers can find buyers with less effort through their own channels.

    The demand for property is currently so high that “some of the apartments have already been sold before construction begins”. Often all it takes is just setting up a construction board. Prospective buyers should therefore be put on the lists of broker companies, advises Ursina Kubli, Head of Real Estate Research at Zürcher Kantonalbank, according to a media release.

  • Allreal focuses on western Switzerland

    Allreal focuses on western Switzerland

    According to a media release, the real estate company Allreal is acquiring individual companies from Immosynergies Holding Sàrl , based in Cointrin GE. According to a press release, almost all of the properties taken over are in prime locations in the canton of Geneva. There is also a portfolio of development projects in the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. Allreal is thus significantly expanding its involvement in western Switzerland.

    According to the announcement, the package taken over by founder and owner Olivier Plan from Immosynergies Holding Sàrl includes investment properties of around CHF 500 million and additional development properties of around CHF 210 million, which have a potential investment volume of more than CHF 700 million. Allreal also buys the general contractor belonging to the group of companies. All 45 employees will be taken over. The net purchase price of the entire transaction is given as around CHF 400 million.

    Half of the net purchase price is to be paid in cash and half in Allreal shares. As a result, Olivier Plan, who is 100 percent owner of Immosynergies Holding Sàrl, will be one of Allreal's largest shareholders after the transaction is complete.

    The Board of Directors of Allreal Holding AG intends to carry out a capital increase from the authorized capital while excluding subscription rights for the previous shareholders. It is planned to issue up to 650,000 new Allreal shares, which corresponds to an increase in the existing share capital of 4.1 percent.

    As a result of the transaction, the total market value of the Allreal investment properties will rise to around CHF 5.1 billion.

  • Romande Energie is getting involved in French wind farms

    Romande Energie is getting involved in French wind farms

    Romande Energie France and the wind farm developer Calycé Développement have entered into a development partnership, according to a press release from the Valais energy supplier. Romande Energie is thus adding 15 wind farms to its portfolio for renewable energies in France. She takes high stakes in them. Most are still in the planning phase.

    The contract between the two companies provides for Romande Energie to acquire a 50 percent stake in six early-stage projects. She becomes the one hundred percent owner of seven late-stage projects. She takes on 80 percent of a secured project. Calycé Développement will manage all projects until they are ready for construction. Romande Energie buys 100 percent of a wind farm that is already in operation.

    Since 2013 the Romande Energie Group has acquired a number of hydro, solar and wind power plants in France. This added to its hydropower portfolio in western Switzerland. According to the company, these investments served to diversify both their locations and their energy sources. The transaction will be completed in the coming weeks.