immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Zürich

  • Asking rents remain stable in April

    Asking rents remain stable in April

    The monthly rental index collected by the digital real estate marketplace Homegate in cooperation with the Zürcher Kantonalbank ( ZKB ) was stable in April. According to the media release , asking rents in Switzerland rose minimally by 0.2 percent. The index now stands at 117.4 points. Asking rents rose the most in the last month, at around 1.7 percent, in the canton of Nidwalden. They have fallen significantly in the canton of Zug by around 2 percent. In the other cantons, asking rents also remained stable in April, with fluctuations of less than 1 percent.

    In the cities surveyed, too, the development of asking rents was similarly stable as at the cantonal level. According to the announcement, the biggest change was in Zurich, where asking rents rose by 1 percent. This continues a development of the last five months, in which asking rents there increased by 4.3 percent. Lugano reports the lowest value among the cities at 0.5 percent. Despite the decline in April, Lugano still recorded an increase of 2.1 percent compared to the previous year. However, Homegate reports that it is a long way from the peak in July 2016.

    When recording the rental price changes for the rental index, the rental prices are corrected for different quality, location and size of the apartments, the communication explains. This makes it possible to record the actual rental price development.

    Homegate was founded in 2001 and is a division of SMG Swiss Marketplace Group AG .

  • Demand for condominiums is highly dependent on region and price

    Demand for condominiums is highly dependent on region and price

    The latest edition of the Online Home Market Analysis from the real estate portal Homegate and the Swiss Real Estate Institute (SwissREI) examines the advertisement data for condominiums for 2020 and 2021. The evaluated advertisements come from the four largest Swiss Internet portals and thus comprise around 85 percent of all online advertisements during the period under review. Detailed reports on the study for all regions can be found here in the online media release .

    For Martin Waeber, Managing Director Real Estate, SMG Swiss Marketplace Group, the latest online home market analysis shows how heterogeneous the Swiss condominium market is: “Overall, the demand for condominiums throughout Switzerland developed somewhat less dynamically last year due to the corona. However, certain market segments have seen lively demand over the past year, particularly in cities.” On average, the duration of advertisements in the low price segment has increased significantly in the cities examined, while it has remained practically unchanged in the higher price segment, although the number of advertisements has increased. “Similar to the rental apartment market, preferences in the condominium market have shifted away from smaller and cheaper to larger and more expensive properties during the Covid19 pandemic,” said Waeber, summarizing the study results.

    Longer advertisement duration despite smaller offer
    The significant increase in the average tendering period for condominiums from 61 to 84 days in 2020 compared to 2019 due to the Covid19 pandemic was confirmed at a high level in 2021 with 85 days. In comparison, the length of listings for single-family homes has fallen from just over 61 days in 2019 to pre-pandemic levels.

    On the other hand, around 20 percent fewer condominiums were offered online across Switzerland in 2021 than in the previous year. With such a severe shortage of offers, one would expect that the average duration of advertisements would also be correspondingly shorter. However, the fact that this has not shortened, but actually lengthened slightly, is evidence of a declining demand for condominiums across Switzerland for 2021.

    Prof. Dr. Peter Ilg, head of the SwissREI institute, sees several reasons for the weaker demand for condominiums: “Condominium prices in Switzerland rose by more than 8 percent on average in 2021. This is the strongest price increase in ten years. Such a significant increase in prices is likely to have had a dampening effect on demand in general. Increasing demand can only be seen in selected regions and in individual upper price segments, in which the buyers were probably able to increasingly resort to advance inheritances». This can be deduced, for example, from the distribution of taxable assets and homebuyers by age group. In the canton of Zurich, for example, the over-54s have more than half of the taxable assets, while across Switzerland the majority of home buyers are under the age of 55, Ilg continues. 

    Regional differences in the duration of advertisements are increasing
    From a regional perspective, the differences in the duration of advertisements in the eight major regions examined in 2021 have become more pronounced. In the Zurich region, where sellers have to advertise a condominium for the shortest time in Switzerland, the duration of the advertisement was reduced significantly by around a quarter to just 43 days (minus 14 days). In the two regions with the longest average duration of advertisements for a condominium, on the other hand, they continued to rise significantly, each at around 22 percent; the Vaud/Valais region recorded an increase of 18 to 98 days, Ticino by 25 to 139 days.

    In absolute terms, the greatest reduction in the length of advertisements was seen in the Central Switzerland region. After a decline of 19 days (minus 27 percent) for 2021 with 51 days, this region now has the second shortest advertisement duration of all eight regions surveyed, right after the Zurich region. The Geneva region, on the other hand, which still had the shortest advertisement duration in Switzerland at 52 days in 2020, fell back to third place in 2021 after an increase of 12 percent (plus 6 days).

    Increasing demand only in three out of eight regions examined
    The combination of the change in the duration of advertisements and the change in the number of advertisements allows conclusions to be drawn about the change in demand in the regions examined. In the three regions of Ticino, Vaud/Valais and Geneva, for the year 2021, despite a shortage of supply (i.e. a declining number of advertisements), there has been a significant increase in the duration of advertisements in some cases and thus a shrinking demand for condominiums. For the three regions of Central Switzerland, Northwestern Switzerland and Zurich, on the other hand, increasing demand (larger percentage decline in the length of advertisements than in the number of advertisements) can be observed. The other two regions (Eastern Switzerland and Espace Mittelland) show constant demand for 2021.

    Growth in demand for city apartments, especially in the upper price segment
    In addition to the eight regions, the Online Home Market Analysis also examines eight Swiss cities. When analyzing the demand for condominiums, a closer look at the price segment shows that demand in Basel, Lausanne, Geneva and Lugano in particular has increased. Both in the high price segment (CHF 1.5 million – CHF 3.0 million) and in the low price segment (CHF 0.3 million – CHF 0.5 million). In the high price segment, demand increased overall in six of the eight cities surveyed – in addition to Basel, Lausanne, Geneva, also in St. Gallen and Lucerne – while in the low price segment, the remaining four cities recorded constant or falling demand. This increased demand in the high price segment is now taking very different forms; While in Basel the declining length of advertisements in particular led to higher demand, in Geneva a much higher increase in the number of properties on offer compared to the length of advertisements indicated this conclusion.

  • The Cube: There is nothing to buy in this store

    The Cube: There is nothing to buy in this store

    The Cube showroom designed by Wincasa meets changing customer needs and has its finger on the pulse of the times. Today’s customers want more than just shopping. It’s about being entertained with additional offers and making a stay in a shopping center an experience. The Cube meets this changing customer need. The retail space in Sihlcity in Zurich is the first of its kind in Switzerland. Others are to follow after a first test phase.

    Experience and try without buying

    Under the motto Experience Innovation, a wide variety of innovative products from a wide variety of industries are presented and exhibited in The Cube. The Cube is a place of experience and experience. Customers can test the products live, try them out and give immediate feedback. To underline the showroom character of The Cube, nothing can be bought on site. The products are only available online from the respective manufacturers. A win-win situation: The providers receive direct and honest feedback from consumers, generate new leads and attract attention in a special environment. Customers, in turn, have the opportunity to exclusively test and experience new, exciting products.

    Retail of the future

    The showroom concept is also an answer to the challenges of stationary retail. It connects online and offline and delivers real feedback, data, exclusivity, new leads and fans in return for the experience. For project manager Christian Bliggenstorfer, this is a forward-looking step: « A shop concept of this kind is unique in Switzerland. We can test new formats in The Cube, offer customers something new and at the same time gain new insights into the retail of the future. »

  • Majority stick to working from home

    Majority stick to working from home

    Hybrid work remains trendy, writes Steiner AG in a statement on the Office Barometer 2022 from the Zurich-based real estate service provider, which specializes in project development and implementation. According to the study carried out by Marketagent.com Schweiz AG on behalf of Steiner, 42 percent of those surveyed would like to split their working hours between the office and at home. A quarter would like to continue working from home even after the home office obligation has been lifted. A full return to the office is the aim of 33 percent.

    The so-called office types reject the home office mainly because of the more difficult communication there on an interpersonal and professional level, explains Steiner. The same reason is given by the Hyprid types as why they only want to do part of their work at home. On the other hand, the home office types, who mostly have workplaces in open-plan offices, see no disadvantages in working from home either for themselves or for the company.

    Steiner has been “intensively dealing with the working world of the future for several years,” the company explains in the press release. Among other things, Steiner held an internal competition on the subject. The company intends to use the ideas submitted there to develop offers in the office sector. The company’s own employees should also benefit from this, explains Michael Schiltknecht in the press release. “At Steiner, employees can get actively involved when it comes to developing their own workplace environment,” says the Steiner CEO.

  • Forest dominates land use in cities

    Forest dominates land use in cities

    The current study on the use of land in Swiss cities is astonishing, writes the Swiss Association of Cities in a statement on the ” Statistics of Swiss Cities 2022 ” drawn up jointly with the Federal Statistical Office . According to the analysts’ surveys, in 2018 settlement areas accounted for just 23.5 percent or 95,000 hectares of the total area of the 170 Swiss cities surveyed. Most of the urban soil, specifically 32.3 percent, was covered with forest at the end of the study period from 1985 to 2018. At 30.9 percent, the proportion of agricultural land in 2018 was also significantly larger than the settlement area.

    In the six largest cities in Switzerland (Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Winterthur and Zurich), the proportion of settlement area in 2018, at 54.2 percent, was significantly higher than in the overall calculation, the statement explains further. Forest and agricultural land accounted for 29.6 and 14.3 percent, respectively.

    The analysts observed growth in the reporting period, above all in residential areas. Between 1985 and 2018 it increased by almost 10,000 hectares to 35,000 hectares. The areas used for traffic and built up with recreational and green areas also grew in the reporting period. In contrast, the area used by industry in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants fell by 26 percent between 1985 and 2018.

  • Zurich is at the forefront of the circular economy

    Zurich is at the forefront of the circular economy

    The Zug-based building materials producer Holcim and the New York media company Bloomberg are launching the Circular Cities Barometer. The Circular Economy Barometer highlights the top 25 cities leading the shift towards circular living. According to the current status, the cities of Seattle, Copenhagen and Zurich are currently in first to third place in the four categories of buildings, municipal systems, municipal facilities and strategies.

    “The circular economy is a key element to respecting the limits of our planet and taking serious action on climate change. With the rapid urbanization of our world, cities are at the center of this shift from a linear ‘take-make-waste’ economy to a circular ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’ economy,” said Jan Jenisch, CEO of Holcim. This barometer gives unique insights into the most innovative circular cities around the world.

    Created in collaboration with Holcim, the barometer aims to “draw attention to what is making cities around the world circular. We hope that with these insights we can inspire other cities to take action to enable change,” said Lauren Kiel, general manager for Bloomberg Green at Bloomberg Media.

    The Circular Cities Barometer uses its own algorithm to measure the transition of 25 cities from a linear to a circular economy, according to the media release on the method. All regions of the world are represented.

  • Swiss Life Asset Managers aligns real estate funds with sustainability

    Swiss Life Asset Managers aligns real estate funds with sustainability

    Zurich-based Swiss Life Asset Managers AG is renaming its real estate fund Swiss Life REF (CH) Swiss Properties. With the addition of ESG in the fund name and documents, the asset manager is signaling its efforts for more sustainability in accordance with environmental, social and governance factors (ESG), according to a press release .

    Accordingly, the company has been pursuing a sustainability strategy since 2018. In this context, the real estate fund’s properties are to be “gradually optimized with regard to ecological and social criteria as well as aspects of good corporate governance”.

    For better energy and CO2 efficiency, fossil heating systems in existing buildings are to be replaced and new objects are to be checked for sustainability before they are bought. For repairs and investments, the company intends to use a specially developed construction guideline in the future. According to the information, it contains, among other things, minimum energy requirements and “specifications for the targeted use of building certifications”.

    Swiss Life Asset Managers wants to introduce social standards when dealing with tenants. According to the press release, this is reflected in regular surveys of their satisfaction. They should also be informed about sustainability issues.

  • Brulé and Prajer establish the Domi Living house brand

    Brulé and Prajer establish the Domi Living house brand

    From Switzerland, 80 to 100 houses are to be built worldwide that will bear the Domi Living signature, five to seven also in Zurich. Behind this new real estate brand are Canadian designer with British citizenship Tyler Brulé and Zurich real estate entrepreneur Thomas Prajer .

    Domi Living was founded in Zug in July 2021 and, according to its website, sees itself as a real estate and lifestyle consultancy. It aims to “create elegant, intuitive real estate and revitalize urban neighborhoods around the world. In doing so, we combine design and site development at a high level with access to a sophisticated, influential global audience.” The buildings in Asian and North American metropolises are to be realized under license by local entrepreneurs.

    In order to reach an exclusive target audience, both business partners have good prerequisites. A seasoned journalist, Brulé is the owner of the glossy magazine Monocle . He also owns the Zurich design agency Winkreative with offices in London and Tokyo. Among other things, she gave her logo and name to the then new Swiss airline in 2002. He also owns the radio station M24 and cafés in Zurich and London. He was also involved in the design of the Koya apartment building in the Andermatt Swiss Alps holiday village.

    “We want to create a global brand with Domi Living,” said Thomas Prajer of the “Handelzeitung”. The first building of this new brand is to be built on Zurich’s Gold Coast, on a site in Küsnacht owned by Thomas Prajer. Prajer will also contribute the other Domi Living properties in Zurich. According to the information, he has bought around 50 high-quality plots of land in the Zurich area, which he will develop with his company Xania Real Estate . It was founded in March 2022.

  • GenTwo launches first real estate certificate in the Metaverse

    GenTwo launches first real estate certificate in the Metaverse

    Three companies are partnering to launch the Metaverse’s first digital real estate investment product, the Criptonite Metaverse Real Estate AMC. Zurich-based securitization specialist GenTwo Digital , Lisbon-based luxury brand NFT marketplace Exclusible and Geneva-based cryptocurrency asset manager Criptonite have joined forces. To celebrate the launch of the Actively Managed Certificate (AMC) Criptonite Metaverse Real Estate, the Crypto Night Party will be held in Decentraland on the evening of April 8th. This is GenTwo’s web3 conference organizer AssetRush ‘s first event.

    According to a press release , the focus of this “exclusive investment product” is digital luxury real estate, i.e. NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens), in the Metaverse, a future giant network of virtual worlds including a virtual economy and virtual societies. The investment product is intended to allow institutional investors to participate directly in the development of the Metaverse and digital assets.

    “We are proud to announce our next major Metaverse investment product given the incredible opportunities offered by the Metaverse,” GenTwo CEO Philippe Naegeli said. “We believe our curated luxury digital properties will give both new and crypto-savvy professional investors the confidence they need to take their first steps into the Metaverse,” said Exclusible co-founder Romain Girbal. “Thanks to this AMC, you don’t have to be a ‘geek’ to invest in the Metaverse.”

  • Settlements reach pre-corona level

    Settlements reach pre-corona level

    Company settlements are increasing again after the Corona dip. The Greater Zurich Area AG (GZA), as the location marketing organization for nine cantons, was able to settle a total of 125 companies in 2021, an increase of 36 companies compared to the first Corona year 2020. According to a statement by the GZA, 42 companies came from the USA (+20 ), 19 from Germany (+4), ten from Italy (+5) and five each from China (-6), Great Britain and Singapore.

    Overall, the companies created 582 jobs in the economic area, an increase of 11 percent compared to the previous year. In the next five years there should be a total of 1843 jobs.

    The ICT sectors are most strongly represented with 42 companies, followed by the life sciences with 25 companies and the machine industry with 18 and financial services with 13 companies. The life sciences companies created 235 jobs, followed by the ICT companies with 154 jobs.

    However, the importance of the companies for the location goes beyond the number of new jobs. “We specifically address those companies that achieve high added value and strengthen the existing ecosystem,” said GZA Managing Director Sonja Wollkopf Walt at a digital media conference.

    One of the newly settled companies is Benchling . The American provider of cloud solutions for life sciences wants to create up to 150 jobs in the Circle at Zurich Airport. The Chinese pharmaceutical company Hengrui already has its European headquarters in Basel and is now setting up a research and development site in Zurich.

    The German RegTech company targens will sell its software for compliance solutions to banks in Switzerland and Liechtenstein from Schwanden GL. Ruedi Becker, the Swiss head of the Landesbank Baden-Württemberg subsidiary, was able to convince his superiors of the advantages of Glarus together with the GZA.

    That pleases the Glarner location promoter Christian Zehnder. So far, Glarus has been strong in manufacturing and food production. “We want to get away from our traditional image,” he said. “When companies settle here, however, we depend on the strong partner GZA, who markets the location internationally.”

    Sonja Wollkopf Walt sees it similarly: the settlement of targens strengthens the ecosystem as a whole and sends the signal that the economic area extends beyond Zurich and Zug. “In the Greater Zurich Area there is the ideal location for every company.”

    The Greater Zurich Area includes the cantons of Glarus, Graubünden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, Zug and Zurich.

  • Forum UZH takes next hurdle

    Forum UZH takes next hurdle

    The UZH Forum has completed its preliminary project and thus completed the first phase of the project planning, the UZH informs in a press release . The planned nine-story building for the UZH research and education center will form “the future hub of the University of Zurich in the heart of the Zurich Zentrum university district,” the statement said. A large part of the building is to be made accessible to the public.

    The cost of the new building is expected to amount to CHF 598 million. The Government Council of the Canton of Zurich has now referred a corresponding loan application to the Cantonal Council, the State Chancellery of the Canton of Zurich informed in a separate statement . According to her, the Forum UZH provides “the urgently needed additional space for teaching and research”. In addition, the Communications Department of the Government Council emphasizes the function of the planned research and education center as a “link between the three traditional institutions of the University of Zurich, the University Hospital Zurich and the ETH Zurich “.

    The seven above-ground floors of the Forum UZH are reserved for research and teaching. Law, economics and modern philology will occupy the top four floors. In addition, seven of the 40 locations of the university library will move into the new building. In the center of the building there will be an inner forum in the form of a large hall that breaks through the entire structure, which gives the building “an open, pleasant atmosphere across all floors”, writes the UHZ in its press release. The Forum UZH is scheduled to open in 2029.

  • Zurich launches platform MeinQuartier.Zuerich for more say

    Zurich launches platform MeinQuartier.Zuerich for more say

    The City of Zurich is launching an online platform to increase networking and involve people in their districts. On MeinQuartier.Zuerich , residents should be able to receive information from and about their districts and get in touch with clubs and community centers as well as neighbors, according to a press release .

    MeinQuartier.Zuerich is based on the open-source software Decidim , which various cities around the world are already using. In this country, Geneva, Lausanne and Lucerne use the open source software. The costs for the construction and operation of MeinQuartier.Zuerich for the city of Zurich amount to around CHF 175,000 by the end of the pilot phase at the end of 2023.

    The district platform is the result of a participatory process between urban development and the districts in 2019. A digital platform for the districts emerged from this “as an important concern of this process,” according to the media release. It includes functions such as publishing information, events and blog entries as well as conducting surveys.

    Four neighborhood associations, the Zurich community centers and other organizations were involved in the development process. “Contact with the population is very important to us. We hope that we can support our work with digital surveys and collections of ideas even better and, above all, more broadly in the district,” Balz Bürgisser, President of the Witikon District Association, is quoted as saying in the media release.

    Clubs and organizations can register using aform on the website and take part in an information event on March 29th.

  • Real estate in Zurich is becoming more attractive

    Real estate in Zurich is becoming more attractive

    As the only Swiss city, Zurich is becoming more attractive for real estate investments. In the current study “Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe 2022 ” by the business consultancy PwC , it climbed from 20th place in the previous year to 14th place. In the rents and capital values category, the respondents put Zurich in sixth place. The report reflects the views of 844 real estate professionals.

    The ranking is now headed by London. The British capital and Berlin have swapped the first two places from the previous year. This is followed by Paris, Frankfurt and Munich.

    As stated in a press release on this study, it recorded the highest business confidence since 2014. It also shows that the positive outlook has doubled since last year.

    The main concerns of the European real estate industry relate to high construction costs and scarce resources (88 percent of those surveyed), the availability of land and assets (66 percent) and the requirements for sustainability and decarbonization (61 percent).

    There is no consensus on office space. Some of the respondents opted for flexible and high-quality properties, while others assumed an inevitable decline in overall demand. 85 percent believe that home office time will increase. 82 percent think that a representative office building is still important for communicating the corporate culture and for recruiting staff.

  • Westhive is planning a new location at Stettbach train station

    Westhive is planning a new location at Stettbach train station

    Westhive wants to open a new shared office in Stettbach Mitte, right next to the Stettbach S-Bahn station, as announced in a message on LinkedIn. More than 120 jobs are to be offered there as early as the first quarter of 2022. There will be six meeting rooms for conferences and seminars. The infrastructure should also include a restaurant and a fitness room.

    Stettbach Mitte is interesting for Westhive thanks to its “good traffic location”. The new office location will have a direct connection to public transport as well as a connection to the A1 motorway. “This results in a large catchment area that extends from the Glatttal via Zurich Oberland to Winterthur,” said a message from Stettbach Mitte about the new arrival.

    Weshtive was founded in 2017 and opened its first coworking location in Zurich in 2018. The company now offers offices and workplaces with a complete service infrastructure at five locations. Further locations are being planned.

  • Fewer apartments are empty

    Fewer apartments are empty

    As of June 1, 2021, Switzerland had a total of 71,365 vacant apartments, including single-family houses, according to the Federal Statistical Office ( FSO ) in a message . Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to a decrease of 9.5 percent. The corresponding vacancy rate fell in the same period by 0.18 percentage points to 1.54 percent. It fell for the first time in twelve years, according to the announcement.

    The FSO analysts observed a decline in vacant apartments in six of the seven major regions. Only in the greater Ticino area did the vacancy rate rise by 0.12 percentage points to 2.83 percent. Within the cantons, the analysts found the lowest vacancy rates in Zug (0.34 percent), Geneva (0.51 percent) and Zurich (0.72 percent). The highest vacancy rates were observed in the cantons of Solothurn (3.15 percent), Ticino (2.83 percent) and Appenzell Innerrhoden (2.59 percent).

    The analysts have noted a particularly high decline in vacancies for new apartments and single-family homes. As of the reporting date, 7,066 vacant properties were offered for long-term rent or for sale across Switzerland, 24.2 percent fewer than in the previous year. The number of vacant single-family houses offered for long-term rent or purchase decreased by 18.8 percent to 5940 properties in the same period.

  • Zurich is Switzerland's first green city

    Zurich is Switzerland's first green city

    The city of Zurich accepted the Green City Switzerland award in gold on Thursday evening. As city councilor Richard Wolff said on this occasion, according to a press release , this seal is “both recognition and incentive. We are on the right track and know where we need to improve further ”.

    In 2019, the city council commissioned the Green City Zurich service department of the civil engineering and waste disposal department to have the city of Zurich certified with the Green City Switzerland label. It is awarded by the Association of Swiss Urban Gardeners and Horticultural Offices according to uniform criteria. Not only core processes such as planning and construction, care and maintenance, but also management and support processes are assessed. Zurich received 451 out of a possible 500 points.

    “This is an excellent result and a role model,” says Markus Weibel from the Label Commission. It shows that it “sets high standards and is made for both urban communities and the largest city in Switzerland”.

    The team of experts particularly praised the “very good, long-term planning basis”, in which sustainable topics and biodiversity are given high priority. The binding basis for the near-natural maintenance and management of urban green and open spaces was also praised. In addition, the green spaces would be integrated to reduce heat.

  • Zurich is the most sustainable city in Switzerland

    Zurich is the most sustainable city in Switzerland

    The British IG Bank has compiled a list of the most sustainable Swiss cities. According to this, Zurich is considered the most sustainable city in Switzerland. Lausanne, Bern, Lucerne, St.Gallen, Lugano, Geneva and Basel follow Zurich.

    For its ranking, the bank used government data sources from the eight largest cities. She then combined the results with evaluations from international agencies. The focal points in determining sustainability included air quality, the use of public transport, the proportion of recreational areas, the population density and the proportion of populated areas.

    IG Bank emphasizes that Zurich is not only the most sustainable, but also the largest city in Switzerland. This makes the top position all the more impressive. Zurich did well in all areas. However, the use of public transport was particularly decisive. According to the bank, 67.1 percent of residents use some form of public transport. This is one of the main reasons for the good air quality in the city. As a further highlight, IG Bank highlights the fact that Zurich has its own government department for sustainable building. This focuses on creating a 2000 watt society.

    IG Bank is convinced that current and future investments will be strongly oriented towards sustainability. The aim of their ranking is to "highlight Switzerland's commitment to sustainability". In addition, the data should serve as an “indicator for future trends and show what other big cities could do to repeat Switzerland's success”.

  • Zurich is the most sustainable city in Switzerland

    Zurich is the most sustainable city in Switzerland

    The British IG Bank has compiled a list of the most sustainable Swiss cities. According to this, Zurich is considered the most sustainable city in Switzerland. Lausanne, Bern, Lucerne, St.Gallen, Lugano, Geneva and Basel follow Zurich.

    For its ranking, the bank used government data sources from the eight largest cities. She then combined the results with evaluations from international agencies. The focal points in determining sustainability included air quality, the use of public transport, the proportion of recreational areas, the population density and the proportion of populated areas.

    IG Bank emphasizes that Zurich is not only the most sustainable, but also the largest city in Switzerland. This makes the top position all the more impressive. Zurich did well in all areas. However, the use of public transport was particularly decisive. According to the bank, 67.1 percent of residents use some form of public transport. This is one of the main reasons for the good air quality in the city. As a further highlight, IG Bank highlights the fact that Zurich has its own government department for sustainable building. This focuses on creating a 2000 watt society.

    IG Bank is convinced that current and future investments will be strongly oriented towards sustainability. The aim of their ranking is to "highlight Switzerland's commitment to sustainability". In addition, the data should serve as an “indicator for future trends and show what other big cities could do to repeat Switzerland's success”.

  • Rental prices drop slightly in March

    Rental prices drop slightly in March

    The prices for rents fell in March compared to the previous month by 0.4 percent. This short-term development is only reflected in the national averages. In the most expensive and densely populated regions, rents rose in March, according to the latest data from the Swiss Real Estate Offer Index. In the long term, too, prices have increased on average.

    Tenants in the Lake Geneva region had to pay 0.2 percent more in March, and even 0.9 percent in the greater Zurich region. According to a press release, rents in north-western Switzerland also rose by 0.3 percent, in eastern Switzerland by 0.2 percent and in Ticino by 1.9 percent. In Central Switzerland, on the other hand, rents fell by 1.2 percent. Over the year as a whole, rental prices rose by an average of 0.6 percent for the country.

    In the case of home ownership, prices have also developed differently, depending on the type of residence. While those interested in condominiums benefited from an average of 0.4 percent lower prices in March, buyers of single-family homes had to add 1 percent.

    In the past twelve months, home prices even rose by a record 7.2 percent. While the square meter cost 6398 francs in March 2020, it was 6857 francs in March of this year.

    In the case of condominiums, the plus of 3 percent was somewhat more moderate. Here, the price per square meter rose from 7,366 francs in March 2020 to 7,587 francs in March 2021.

    The data of the Swiss Real Estate Offer Index is created in real time on the basis of advertisements on the real estate platform ImmoScout24 and in cooperation with the real estate consultancy IAZI AG .

  • Swiss train stations perform moderately

    Swiss train stations perform moderately

    Of 50 train stations in Europe that were examined, the train stations in Bern and Zurich performed moderately to poorly in terms of passenger-friendliness. According to a press release, Bern train station landed in 40th place in the European Railway Index 2021, while Zurich train station was in 21st place.

    The consumer protection group Consumer Choice Center , based in Washington, has examined in its index, among other things, the shopping experience, the accessibility, the WLAN network, the number of national and international destinations as well as the choice of travel providers.

    The main train station in Bern, for example, has toilets for wheelchair users, but with six shops and eight restaurants only a very limited range of options for eating and shopping. The Zurich main station offers more than 53 shops and 39 restaurants, but does not provide barrier-free toilets for wheelchair users.

    Leipzig Central Station performed best in front of Vienna Central Station and St. Pancras in London. According to a media release, the train station in the German state of Saxony offers most domestic destinations, many shops and restaurants, and several railway companies.

  • Innovation Park Zurich has billions of potential

    Innovation Park Zurich has billions of potential

    The Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich foundation commissioned the economic research institute BAK Economics to carry out a scientific study on the economic significance of the Zurich Innovation Park (IPZ ). The study comes to the conclusion that the direct and indirect added value of the IPS could add up to around 2.7 billion francs per year if fully expanded. With a share of 90 percent of the total value added, the canton of Zurich would benefit particularly strongly.

    The extensive study is divided into seven sections, ranging from the motivation for the analysis, the importance of innovation for the economy and society, the position of the Canton of Zurich in the innovation competition, to a detailed evaluation of the role that the Innovation Park Zurich plays in promoting growth and Prosperity could play rich. The study confirms that the canton of Zurich is underrepresented in industry, particularly in the high-tech sectors. According to the study authors, the IPZ could make a decisive contribution to upgrading the canton as an innovation location.

    According to the authors, the IPZ could form the “risk area” necessary for transformation innovations in addition to the corresponding risk capital. The park should position itself as a "link between universities, research institutes, the start-up scene and research-based industry", according to the study. Structures created there could enable “global players” to settle in innovative areas such as “mobility, space travel, aviation, robotics, greentech or new materials”.

    The Zurich Chamber of Commerce ( ZHK ) sees the results of the study as confirmation of their longstanding support for the innovation park. They show how important this is for the business and research location, she writes in a statement on the study. The ZHK hopes that the added value of the innovation park will lead to an acceleration of the ongoing procedures.

  • Made in Zurich breaks the lance for urban production

    Made in Zurich breaks the lance for urban production

    Made in Zurich wants to unite “urban productivists” of all kinds, explains the initiative founded in 2018 in its self-portrayal . Even when it was founded, the Made in Zurich initiative set out to investigate questions about production in the city, writes the initiative in a recent press release . For this purpose, Made in Zurich created the study “ Locations for urban production and retail – SUPR ”.

    The study examines historical developments and current trends and uses them to develop proposals for urban production. In addition, the analysts sound out the framework conditions for urban production in Zurich. Among other things, they investigate the question of what urban producers need and which urban areas are suitable for urban production.

    The guidelines are intended to provide “instructions for action and food for thought”, writes the Made in Zurich initiative in the communication. The addressees named there are “the public sector, developers and, last but not least, the producers themselves”.

    In the fifth chapter of the study, the authors deal with particularly important aspects of urban production. The entire final chapter of the study is devoted to recommendations for action for the implementation of locations for urban production and retail.

  • Zurich and Singapore are exploring big cities

    Zurich and Singapore are exploring big cities

    The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ) and three Singapore-based universities – the National University of Singapore , the Nanyang Technological University and the Singapore University of Technology and Design – want to jointly research how the global growth of cities can be made more sustainable. To this end, according to a press release on December 1, they launched the Future Cities Lab Global research program. It is an extension of the Future Cities Laboratory of the Singapore-ETH Center , which was successfully completed after ten years.

    This program deals with the major global challenges of increasing urbanization caused by the expansion of existing cities and the emergence of new ones. This against the background that, according to the United Nations, two thirds of the world's population will live in cities by 2050.

    “The ecological and economic advantages of densely populated cities that do not take up much space are being wiped out by the urban sprawl in the hinterland,” explains Professor Stephen Cairns, co-director of the research program and ETH architecture professor in Singapore. "The extent to which we can curb climate change in the next hundred years depends on how well these contrasting city forms are planned."

    Numerous projects are being planned, according to ETH Zurich. Those that have already started dealt with compacted green buildings and quarters, the materials for them and new technologies for the recycling of building materials. In addition, solutions for polluted and flood-prone cities and surrounding regions are sought. Possibilities for sustainable food production in cities and their surrounding areas are also being explored.

  • Mobiliar's craftsmen platform is online for Zurich and Aarau

    Mobiliar's craftsmen platform is online for Zurich and Aarau

    The Mobiliar subsidiary Buildigo has been bringing together craftsmen and clients in Zurich and Aargau on its digital platform since Monday. According to a media release from the insurance company, the focus is on the quality of the service partners and digital processing from the inquiry to payment. This service can be used by both private individuals and SMEs.

    The start-up Buildigo has been active in French-speaking Switzerland since 2017. Since the summer of 2020, it has been supplementing Mobiliar's services for everything to do with living. Your new trade platform on the Internet is starting in the regions of Zurich and Aarau with a selected range of the most relevant industries. The offer will be gradually expanded in the coming months.

  • Data centers conquer Switzerland – second highest density in Europe

    Data centers conquer Switzerland – second highest density in Europe

    In terms of population, Switzerland already has an extremely high density of data centers, after the Netherlands it is even the second highest in Europe. The 93 colocation data centers identified in a current study by CBRE Switzerland have an area of at least 154,000 m2, which corresponds to around 22 football fields.

    Zurich ranks sixth in Europe
     With 68 megawatts (MW), the Zurich region ranks sixth in Europe after London (711 MW), Frankfurt (510 MW), Amsterdam (365 MW), Paris (204 MW) and Dublin (94 MW), which is what the data center Capacities. An increase in output by a further 50 MW by 2022 is already assured, as illustrated by various construction projects in Glattbrugg (Interxion), Winterthur (Vantage Data Centers) or Dielsdorf (Green Datacenter). More data centers are already planned, and this will double capacity in a few years.
    The Swiss market currently consists of a mix of wholesale and retail providers. The major projects initiated in recent years are mostly so-called hyperscaler data centers, which are set up by Swiss or foreign operators and used by major international cloud providers such as Google, Oracle, Microsoft and Amazon.

    Good economic conditions and sovereign data protection requirements
     New customer wins from financial service providers, a growing fintech sector and the ongoing migration of international companies to the cloud have encouraged providers to set up cloud regions in Switzerland. Switzerland has its own data protection requirements, which promote sovereignty, but allow international companies to operate on a European basis without having to meet the requirements of the European Union (e.g. General Data Protection Regulation). Problems with the provision of land and electricity, long planning processes and compliance with sustainability criteria remain the most important challenges.

    Even if the market for data centers in Switzerland is considered a niche, private equity firms and increasingly infrastructure funds are discovering this growth market for themselves. The data center market requires specific know-how that is different from other types of property. While traditional real estate investors are not yet showing much interest in data centers, they should keep a close eye on this market over the long term as it offers rapidly growing potential for alternative real estate investments.

  • Zurich adapts real estate strategy to growth

    Zurich adapts real estate strategy to growth

    Liegenschaften Stadt Zürich (LSZ) acts as the owner, investor and manager of buildings in the city that are rented to third parties. Now LSZ has redefined its strategy to take the city's growth into account. “This growth is gratifying and confirms the policy of the city council. At the same time, however, it also poses a challenge, for example in relation to the increasing need for space for urban infrastructure and non-profit living, ”City Councilor Daniel Leupi is quoted in a communication from the City of Zurich , head of the finance department.

    In the context of the fields of action residential, commercial / special real estate and land reserves / building rights, priorities are to be set in the future. This includes the preservation of small businesses, the transparent leasing of both residential and commercial space, digitization and ecological sustainability.

    In addition, land reserves, which will not be finalized until the next few years, are to be opened for temporary use. This would create free spaces, "which are also used very actively culturally and not commercially and thus contribute to a colorful and diverse city," says von Leupi.

  • Ludicious Zurich Game Festival ceases operations

    Ludicious Zurich Game Festival ceases operations

    The city of Zurich and the Pro Helvetia cultural foundation will no longer continue the Ludicious Zurich Game Festival, according to a media release . The event was considered to be one of the largest gaming festivals in German-speaking countries. It consisted of a combination of presentations, panel discussions, seminars and awards ceremonies. The event last took place digitally in July 2020 due to the corona pandemic.

    The city of Zurich intends to support Swiss game developers in the future in other formats, according to the announcement. Meanwhile, Pro Helvetia wants to get involved in the presentation of Swiss developers at international conferences.

    “I am very sad to see Ludicious disappear after years of growth. At the same time, we are aware that we have helped to bring the Swiss game developers together and to support them, ”said Ludicious President Chris Bergstresser as quoted in the press release.

  • City of Zurich liquidates Fernwärme Zürich AG

    City of Zurich liquidates Fernwärme Zürich AG

    The waste incineration plant Josefstrasse has reached the end of its service life and will therefore be shut down on March 31, the civil engineering and waste disposal department of the city of Zurich informed in a message . The area managed by the Josefstrasse plant will in future be supplied with district heating from the Hagenholz plant via a new connection line, it said.

    The Josefstrasse cogeneration plant has been operated by the City of Zurich together with Energie Baden-Württemberg AG ( EnBW ) since 2011. The municipal service department ERZ Disposal + Recycling Zurich was responsible for operations. EnBW was responsible for the procurement of waste in neighboring countries. The two partners founded Fernwärme Zürich AG (FWZ) for the joint operation of the waste-to-energy plant.

    With the closure of the Josefstrasse plant, the two partners are now ending their cooperation. As previously contractually agreed, the City of Zurich is therefore buying up EnBW's 40 percent stake in FWZ. The notification puts the purchase price at 480,000 francs. Following the complete takeover by the City of Zurich, the FWZ is to be liquidated.

  • Construction plans in Zurich North Next step for densification in Neu-Oerlikon

    Construction plans in Zurich North Next step for densification in Neu-Oerlikon

    Zurich's plans for Neu-Oerlikon: This is how the space around the train station should be designed. Red are buildings with a height of 80 meters, orange are those with a height of 54 and yellow are those with a height of 45 meters. Image: Master plan 07/10/2018

    More apartments, more jobs, more shops, more culture. North of the Oerlikon train station, “an attractive, urban-planning center is to be created”, says structural engineering supervisor André Odermatt (SP). To this end, the city council approved a partial revision of the Neu-Oerlikon special building regulations from 1998.

    The new regulations are a "huge opportunity" for Oerlikon, says Odermatt. "We are improving the plans from the 1990s and bringing them to a close."

    The partial revision allows a clear consolidation. Two skyscrapers with heights of 80 and 54 meters are planned on Max-Frisch-Platz. A total of 400 to 500 new apartments are to be built between Binzmühlestrasse and Oerlikon train station. In around half of them, non-profit housing construction is possible, according to the Urban Development Office.

    ABB cedes city property

    The city developed the plans together with the three major landowners, the canton of Zurich and the companies ABB Immobilien AG and AXA Leben. The city can claim some of the profit generated by the rezoning.

    The city receives money from the canton and AXA Leben – how much is not yet public. She would like to use the amount to improve the infrastructures in the neighborhood. ABB Immobilien will provide the city with the property on which Hall 550 is located. "In this way we can secure the existence of Hall 550," says Odermatt. This makes an important contribution to the cultural offerings in Oerlikon. The city is also taking over the property south of it. There she is planning charitable apartments.

    The special building regulations guarantee that with Hall 550 and the former ABB brick building 87T, two buildings from the industrial past will remain. In addition, they should create a greener quarter. Max-Frisch-Platz and a pedestrian zone are being enlarged. Shops and restaurants on the ground floors should keep the streets busy.

    Next, the local council will discuss the new building regulations. They will come into force in mid-2022 at the earliest. Then the owners can start planning their properties.

  • Extended tram depot including 193 rental apartments

    Extended tram depot including 193 rental apartments

    The new building project emerged as the winner of an architecture competition in 2016. The project was penned by Morger Partner Architects from Basel. The project was particularly convincing with its high space and volume efficiency, which, in addition to cost advantages, also promises energetic and operational benefits, emphasize the project managers. The building project “Tram depot and housing estate Depot Hard” includes the partial renovation of the existing, listed tram depot from 1912, the construction of a modern depot hall with a total of 25 tram parking spaces. In addition, there are provision, maintenance and repair areas as well as operating and service rooms for the Zurich transport company.

    Living space for around 550 people
    In addition, a new urban housing estate is being built with a total of 193 apartments of various sizes. It offers living space for around 550 people. In addition to apartments in the base construction on the Limmat, maisonette apartments (townhouses) are being built. They offer direct access to the courtyard. The offer is to be supplemented with apartment blocks in the two high-rise buildings. They extend to the 22nd and 23rd floors respectively. In addition, various studio, commercial and service areas as well as a public footpath and bicycle path with lounge areas are planned along the Limmat.

    Tram depot as the base of the development
    The new tram depot forms the base of the superstructure and is built over with two-storey row buildings as a geometric connection to the residential buildings of the existing complex, explain the project managers. This creates a relationship to the existing building both in terms of the height of the building and in terms of its geometry. The area between the row buildings is to be used as a spacious and versatile courtyard for the residents of the housing estate. The two high-rise residential buildings, which will be located together with the two existing high-rise buildings on the opposite side of Hardturmstrasse, mark the entrance to the Zurich-West quarter. ■