The Zurich Cantonal Bank's real estate barometer has analysed voluntary moves out of owner-occupied homes. It is striking that moves usually involve couples, do not involve a change of location, and become more frequent from the age of 85 onwards. After moving out, the number of rooms per person

Switzerland needs to grow inwards, but many building permit procedures take too long and are unnecessarily complex. What is needed is early cooperation between all parties involved, clear responsibilities and digitally supported processes so that high-quality inner-city development becomes a

Serial construction is a response to the housing shortage, cost and climate pressure and opens up new opportunities for quality, sustainability and the circular economy. The decisive factor will be whether it is possible to combine standardization with architectural diversity and social

Six start-ups competed in the final of the Swissbau Startup Challenge in the Swissbau Lab. They showed how CO₂ can be reduced, processes streamlined and resources circulated. An expert jury selected the winners, Basel Circular presented the Circular Award for the first time and one thing was

The FireDrone flies into burning buildings, tunnels or industrial plants and delivers real-time data from extreme environments. Developed at Empa and continued as a spin-off, it combines heat-resistant materials with intelligent robotics for greater safety and efficiency in firefighting and

Cities of all sizes face a common challenge: their key infrastructure was never designed for the relentless pace of modern life. Millions of people rely on systems that are decades old, well past their intended lifespan and incompatible with climate

Sika AG, a company active in the specialty chemicals sector, achieved preliminary sales of CHF 11.2 billion in the 2025 financial year. In local currencies, this corresponds to growth of 0.6 per cent. In Swiss francs, negative currency effects (-5.4 per cent) resulted in a decline of 4.8 per

Building materials specialist Holcim has acquired French concrete component manufacturer Alkern. The acquisition strengthens Holcim's business in the Building Solutions segment and brings it closer to its goal of this segment accounting for around 50 per cent of net sales by

On March 8, 2026, the city of Zurich will elect its municipal council. In the SVIT Zurich Polit Talk, seven committed candidates will discuss their positions on housing and real estate policy, present solutions for the tight housing market and enter into direct dialog with the

From 20 to 23 January, the industry will meet at Swissbau 2026, where experts, planners and innovators will experience on 80,000 square meters where building, living and design are heading in a practical, inspiring and future-oriented

Swissbau, which begins on 20 January 2026, will focus not only on digitalisation and collaboration, but also on the key topic of circular economy and materials. The construction and real estate trade fair will offer lectures, panel discussions and practical examples on these

Trainees at Basel-based energy supplier IWB have turned their Metro project into a start-up. They are giving disused Metro 45 street lights a new lease of life as floor lamps. Basel-based lighting specialist Regent AG is acting as a partner for quality and safety

Bieri Tenta AG, which specialises in fabric solutions, has successfully completed the construction of a warehouse for Theler AG and BOWA Recycling AG at the Susten site. The warehouse will enable efficient management of materials for the recycling operation in

Following the fire in Valais, the cantons have halted the "BSV 2026" project and put the planned relaxation of Swiss fire safety regulations on ice. Instead of deregulation, the focus is now on analysis, clarification and readjustment, with an open outcome between tightening, standardization or

More and more people are living in less space. New-build apartments are becoming smaller for the first time in decades, while the living space per capita remains historically high. This trend is fundamentally changing planning, construction and energy policy and is turning space itself into a

Holcim has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in the Peruvian construction company Cementos Pacasmayo. The transaction, with a volume of USD 1.5 billion, is intended to strengthen Holcim's presence in Latin America and is a central component of the NextGen Growth 2030

Sika, which is active in speciality chemicals, is acquiring Finja Betong AB, a Swedish mortar manufacturer. The transaction gives Sika a strong basis for expansion in Northern Europe, creates cross-selling potential and strengthens its production

Senn AG is building a new hall with an automated warehouse to facilitate logistics for Migros Verteilbetrieb. More than 1000 components have been used. The hall is due to be completed this

Swissbau 2026 will be a laboratory for the future of construction. Topics such as climate protection, the circular economy, digitalization and skilled workers are coming closer together than ever before. With a focused look ahead, strong content and a dialog between planning, construction and

The KOF Business Situation Indicator from ETH Zurich shows a mixed picture in December 2025. While the current situation in the Swiss private sector has declined slightly, expectations for the coming six months are rising for the fourth time in a row. The prospect of mild growth in the new year

Office rental company FlexOffice has opened its new facilities at JED in Schlieren. Users will find rooms for workshops, individual workstations, business meetings and leisure activities after working

Frauenfeld-based GLATZ AG has been honoured with the Thurgau Business Award 2026. The provider of sun protection solutions impressed the jury with its consistent innovative strength, regional roots and international

Elektro Meier AG has renewed its management team and at the same time changed its name to Eglin Elektro AG Würenlingen. Since 1 December, Marc Wey has been managing the company, which has now been fully integrated into the Eglin

In cooperation with myclimate, OPENLY from Widnau has issued the first CO2 certificates for CO2 sinks in buildings and registered them in the Global C-Sink Registry of Carbon Standards International (CSI). The underlying Global Construction C-Sink standard was developed by

Holcim has expanded its European portfolio for recycling building materials. Three acquired companies in England, Germany and France with a capacity of 1.3 million tons of construction and demolition materials will contribute to the Group's goal of recycling over 20 million tons by

With the major Basel SBB West project, the federal government, the canton of Basel-Stadt and SBB are creating the infrastructural conditions for the station of the future. The extension, which is due to be completed from 2034, will link rail, streetcar, bus and bicycle in a new way and give the

The Basel region is sending out a strong signal for sustainable, cross-border development. With the submitted fifth-generation agglomeration program, investments totalling CHF 2.86 billion are being prepared, including CHF 293 million for projects to be implemented urgently from

After months of wrangling, the Swiss Federation of Master Builders and the trade unions Unia and Syna have agreed on a new national collective agreement for the construction industry. The six-year agreement includes new rules on working and travel times, a wage package including inflation

At an ancient building site in Pompeii, researchers have discovered evidence of a hot-mixing process for Roman concrete. The discovery strengthens the theory of self-healing concrete and contradicts the traditional description by the architect Vitruvius. With consequences for the understanding of

The sfb is the first university of applied sciences in Switzerland whose Building Automation HF course has been officially recognized by the federal government. This provides state protection for qualifications, strengthens the profession of building automation technician HF and sends an important