
Federal Council sees scope for extending the operating life of nuclear power stations
Extending the operating life of the Gösgen and Leibstadt nuclear power stations to 80 years is technically feasible and, in the most likely scenarios, economically viable as well. This is shown in a report adopted by the Federal Council. The retrofitting work would cost between 0.7 and 1.2 billion

A new spatial concept is intended to guide growth in a more targeted manner
From Urbanistica’s perspective, the “Switzerland 2050 Spatial Concept” contains important elements. These include Switzerland’s polycentric structure, the strengthening of interconnected centers, and the concept of “spaces of action.” However, in its statement, the Association for Good

Feasibility study explores new prospects for sport and housing
Halter AG has launched a feasibility study, in collaboration with the City of St. Gallen, into the refurbishment of the Kreuzbleiche sports hall. The sports hall is important for handball and floorball, and also plays a significant role in grassroots

Densify yes, but not at any price
Switzerland is building upwards. In Zurich, more than ten skyscrapers are under construction or in planning, and Geneva, Bern and Basel are also changing their skylines. Economiesuisse President Christoph Mäder is calling for more high-rise buildings. But new figures show that building high does

Politics takes center stage
Ahead of the referendum on June 14, 2026, the focus of the Swiss residential real estate market is shifting to housing policy proposals and the national 10 million initiative. At the same time, slightly higher long-term interest rates are making valuations more sensitive, while the structural

The Ticino real estate market is reshuffling
Across Switzerland, investment in new construction fell by 2.7 percent in 2024. In Ticino, this decline comes against the backdrop of an already tense situation. The vacancy rate fell from 2.08% to 1.92% in the space of a year, marking the first significant downward trend in years. What sounds like



Partnership strengthens multifunctional innovation centre with leisure facilities
Halter and Padelta are entering into a long-term partnership as part of the FUTURAMA project. As part of this, two padel courts will be built on the ground floor of FUTURAMA in Lupfig, a centre for innovation and collaboration, by

The city as a raw material mine
Switzerland has been building on stock for decades and is now sitting on huge stockpiles of materials in its cities. Millions of tons of concrete, steel and metals are stored in buildings and infrastructures and are still too often wasted during demolition. Cities are seen as raw material depots

Engelberg spans the arc
Engelberg is reorganizing its village center. Between the train station and the monastery, a clear, tangible axis is to be created from a mixed carpet of streets. The development and design concept specifies how first floors, traffic and public spaces should interact so that the center does not

St. Gallen trims its construction processes
Building in the canton of St. Gallen requires strong nerves. The government now wants to streamline the procedures, above all with digital processes and better coordination. However, it can hardly do anything about the sensitive issue of objection and appeal

80 meters, 1000 apartments, a city council under pressure
A new city center will soon be built where measuring devices used to roll off the production line. The LG site right next to Zug railroad station is one of the biggest urban development opportunities in Central Switzerland and one of the most controversial. The city council has given the green

Baden gets serious about the sponge city
Heavy rain floods cellars, heat glows on sealed surfaces, sewage systems work at their limit. What was considered normal urban development for decades is now taking its toll with every extreme weather event. The city of Baden is now drawing the consequences and getting allies to break up private

ImmoSummit 2026 – From talent to champion
The ImmoSummit of the Zurich Airport region is one of the most important industry gatherings in the Swiss construction and real estate sector. Year after year, it brings together leading figures from the fields of real estate, architecture, construction, financing, politics and location development

Lugano is building an urban region on rails
766 million Swiss francs, a 2.2-kilometre tunnel under Breganzona, travel times of seven minutes between Bioggio and the city center. The Rete Tram-Treno del Luganese is the largest transport project in southern Switzerland. At the same time, it is also an endurance test for the development

The plain that sets the pace in Ticino
Between Bellinzona and Locarno, the Magadino Plain combines moorland, railroad lines, high-voltage power lines and agriculture in a very small area. In August 2025, the federal government and canton presented a coordinated infrastructure plan that shows how energy supply and landscape protection

Aargau is speeding up the building permit process through digital procedures
The Round Table Working Group on Building Permits has agreed on specific measures to make the relevant procedures in the canton of Aargau more efficient and to speed them up. The authorities are focusing on digitalisation, standardised processes and regular

Research project promotes circular economy in the construction industry
A group of students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) is using digital technology to recycle building materials. For their research, they visit construction sites, dismantle buildings and analyse the existing materials to develop new construction processes for external


Federal Council wants to accelerate residential construction
In view of the housing shortage, the Federal Council is planning measures to shorten the planning and building permit procedures for residential construction. For example, it is considering asserting an overriding national interest in certain cases and restricting certain objections.

One cape, one vision, 100 million francs
For years, the Capo San Martino headland between Melide and Paradiso lay abandoned - once a restaurant, then a nightclub, most recently occupied and locked up with bars. Now Christian Constantin, Valais property developer and FC Sion president, is taking action: A luxury resort is to be built here

The Sonnenhof is to reinvent Bülach’s centre
In the middle of Bülach, a new district is to be created from an ageing shopping centre and large parking areas. Sonnenhof focuses on flats, open spaces, shops, culture and a new link between the railway station and the old town. The project shows how a functional area is to be transformed into a

The grid becomes Switzerland’s bottleneck
Switzerland is building power plants. However, the electricity often does not get to where it is needed quickly enough. The real bottleneck is in the grid. The Energy Committee of the Council of States is now sending a clear signal. Anyone who is serious about the energy transition must renew,

10 million and then
The debate sounds simple. Less immigration, less pressure. But space works differently. Where living space is scarce, workers are in demand and mobility has long been organised across borders, a hard limit often only shifts the pressure further. This is precisely what makes the 10 million vote so

2000 jobs are on the line in Wettingen
It's about far more than just a piece of land. In Wettingen, the ground is to be prepared for a campus that could give Aargau a major boost. there are plans for 1000 existing jobs and up to 2000 new jobs. Nothing has been decided yet. This is precisely why the case shows how hard regions are

Residential complex to be sustainably renovated and extended
Halter AG is involved in the redevelopment of the Clochettes site in Geneva. As part of this, Halter will be renovating, converting and adding storeys to three residential buildings. This includes the modernization of 70 existing apartments and the addition of two further

Research project promotes the reuse of concrete in construction
The Haute école du paysage, d'ingénierie et d'architecture de Genève (HEPIA) is investigating the reuse of concrete slabs from demolition work as part of the CUT project. The aim of the project is to validate this reuse and thus promote more circular

Fuel cells to support power grids
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology have undertaken a project on hydrogen fuel cells in collaboration with the Hälg Group, the Osterwalder Group and H2 Energy AG. These could relieve the burden on local power grids in district
