Eight buildings, one square, and a city on the rise
On Lägernstrasse in Dietikon, postwar buildings that have long outlived their usefulness are being demolished. In their place, a new urban neighborhood is taking shape—one that not only provides housing but also showcases what urban densification can look like in the Limmat Valley. It features 194 rental apartments, a new town square, and a standard of sustainability that is unmatched in the region. What is taking shape here is more than just a development.
In 2017, Swiss Life launched a design competition. The architecture and urban planning firm Ernst Niklaus Fausch Partner AG emerged as the winner. The winning project impressed not with its spectacle, but with its approach: eight building structures that blend intelligently into the fabric of the city boulevard and the quiet residential neighborhood. Badenerstrasse sets the urban rhythm. Behind it, the site opens up to a green-filled inner area. This tension between density and spaciousness forms the urban planning backbone of the project.
Lägernplatz as the New Heart
No neighborhood can thrive without public space. The planned Lägernplatz is intended to fulfill precisely this function: a place to arrive, linger, and meet. Ground-floor spaces along Badenerstrasse and around the square are designated for commercial and service uses. The square is not an afterthought—it is the centerpiece.
Housing for Every Stage of Life
The 194 rental apartments are deliberately designed to cater to different stages of life. Young professionals, families, couples, and older adults should all find a place here. All apartments are designed to be barrier-free, thereby enabling multigenerational living within the development. Residents of Dietikon who can or choose to live without a car will find a direct connection to city life thanks to the nearby Limmattalbahn station.
Gold as the Benchmark
Swiss Life is adhering to the Swiss Sustainable Building Standard, Version 2.0, with a Gold certification for this project. This is not a given for an investment property of this size. Photovoltaic systems on the roofs and a connection to the district heating network are designed to minimize energy consumption in the long term. Here, sustainability is not just a marketing label for the communications department, but an integral part of the construction planning.
Political Headwinds, Democratic Endorsement
Large-scale urban development projects tend to polarize opinion—that is their very nature. The design plan for Lägernstrasse, too, had to navigate the process of direct democracy. In November 2022, the people of Dietikon voted in favor of it by a clear majority. The canton approved the plan in July 2023, and the building permit application was submitted in the fall of that same year. Anyone who wants to build in Switzerland needs patience and convincing arguments—both were present.
Construction is under way
Work has been underway since 2025. The old buildings are gone, and the new structures are taking shape. Anyone walking past Lägernstrasse today will see a construction site in full swing. The first tenants are expected to move in at the beginning of 2028. Dietikon is thus writing another chapter in its development as the Limmattal city center—brick by brick, apartment by apartment.