47 million for a new heart in the Bernese Oberland

A former military site, 60 hectares, characterized for decades by uniforms and armaments factories. Now cutting-edge research is to move in. The city of Thun is getting serious and is advancing CHF 16 million to ensure that the new Empa building does not fail due to lack of funding. What sounds like a municipal gamble is actually a strategic move with staying power.

The overall project will cost 47 million francs. Financing is being provided by a newly established site development company in which four partners are participating. The city of Thun is granting a mortgage-backed, interest-free loan of 16 million francs and is also guaranteeing a cantonal loan of 10 million francs as part of the new regional policy. Empa itself is investing CHF 16 million in laboratories and a technical center, while Halter AG is contributing CHF 5 million as a development partner. Once the project is completed, the company will be transferred to investors.

Building permit is available
The way was not clear. Objections delayed the process by around a year. The building permit for construction site B5 in Thun North has now been granted, with construction set to begin in spring 2027 and completion scheduled for the end of 2029. The city parliament will decide on the loan on 30 April 2026. A clear yes is needed to keep to the schedule.

Empa in Thun since 1994
The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology has been conducting research in the field of high technology and materials in Thun since 1994. The new building is not a relocation, but an expansion. Mayor Raphael Lanz puts it in a nutshell. Empa secures highly qualified jobs in research and development in the long term, generates regional added value and strengthens Thun as a location for technology and innovation in the Canton of Bern.

From barracks site to urban quarter
Thun North is the largest urban development project in the Bernese Oberland. On the 60-hectare site, research companies, businesses and housing are replacing military use. in the long term, 6,500 jobs are to be created; around 2,300 are already located there today. A new Thun Nord S-Bahn stop is included in the federal parliament’s 2035 expansion plan and will connect the district directly to long-distance transport.

Halter as a lever
It is no coincidence that Halter AG is contributing CHF 5 million to the project as a development partner for construction site B5. The company won the project competition in 2022 together with Bauart Architekten and Balliana Schubert Landschaftsarchitekten. The composition shows the concept. Private capital and the public sector are pulling together, and the location is sharing the risk because it is thinking about the return.

What counts now
April 30 is the date that decides everything. If the city parliament approves the loan, planning gets underway. If the loan fails, the entire timetable is thrown into disarray. This would be a setback for Thun North and a location issue for Empa. The city has already paid its share of the bill. Now it’s up to parliament.