
New strategy pays off – more profit and green share of sales increases
Building materials producer Holcim improved its recurring operating profit margin by 90 basis points to 18.3 per cent in the first half of 2025. The construction company's recurring operating profit rose by 10.8 per cent in local currency to CHF 1.440

A lack of clarity in legal requirements is holding back the circular economy
The circular economy is still often held back by a lack of clarity regarding the application of existing regulations. This is shown in a report compiled by ecos in Basel and Rytec in Münsingen (Canton of Bern) for the Zurich Department of Construction. Furthermore, there is a lack of incentives

Innovation project to serve as a starting point for the new construction industry
North America’s first passive house is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The BioHaus on the Waldsee Campus of Concordia Language Villages was built at the time by Stephan Tanner and his team at Intep. It also served as the starting point for the company TANNER Building


Digital platform simplifies analysis and development of building constructions
Researchers at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) have developed a digital tool for sustainable construction. On the dkon platform, users can check the impact of individual construction decisions on the environment, costs and construction

Construction and Housing Fair in Wettingen attracts considerable interest
The 19th edition of the Bauen Wohnen trade fair will take place from 16 to 19 April at the Tägi Wettingen Event Centre. The event marks the start of the spring season and offers inspiration for home improvement projects through practical insights into the latest building

Where others park, you soon live
If you're looking for living space in Baden-Dättwil, you'd better look up. Eight modular wooden houses are to be built above a fast food outlet and a supermarket - compact, sustainable and already fully booked. An investor from Aargau proves that unused roofs could be the answer to the housing

Check early, fail low
Developing new products safely and sustainably before damage occurs. This is the aim of the EU's "Safe and Sustainable by Design" concept. Many companies fear that this will mean additional work. However, a new analysis by Empa shows that the concept is already in line with around two thirds of the

Ground-breaking ceremony marks the start of a new residential development in Baden
The symbolic laying of the foundation stone at the Brisgi site in Baden marked the official start of the construction phase. By 2028, around 220 affordable and sustainable homes will be built there for people in various life

Smart building becomes a location factor
Smart buildings are no longer just digitally controlled properties, but operational ESG tools. They measure energy consumption in real time, control lighting, climate and shading automatically and provide reliable data for taxonomy, ratings and regulation. Lighthouses such as The Edge in Amsterdam,

Smart plant care is making its way into high street shops
The Bern-based Ecotech start-up Boum and the DIY and garden centre chain Hornbach have entered into a partnership. Under the agreement, the Boum Core plant care system will be available in selected Swiss Hornbach branches in future, making it accessible to a wide

New open space concept enhances quality of life and biodiversity
The local council has adopted the Spreitenbach Open Space Concept as a binding framework for future development. Through this concept, it aims to strengthen the identity of the neighbourhoods, promote biodiversity and make the urban environment

Start-up is driving the scaling up of CO2-to-raw-material solutions
DeltaSpark has received 150,000 Swiss francs from Venture Kick. The funding is intended to scale up the company’s CO2 capture process and technology and to pave the way for a new round of seed funding. The process converts CO2 into clean hydrogen and solid

Winter electricity from the Alps is performing above average
The Madrisa Solar alpine solar power plant generated 1.5 gigawatt hours more electricity than forecast during the first half of the winter. The plant supplied more energy to the Klosters-Madrisa mountain railways than was required for their operation. The next phase of construction will begin in


Railway station heating plant switched to wood pellets
Industrielle Werke Basel (IWB) has successfully tested the new wood pellet system at the Bahnhof heating plant. Thanks to the switch from natural gas to wood pellets for the production of district heating, 23,000 tonnes of CO2 will be saved. The Volta district heating plant will be the next to be

DGNB certificate for deconstruction in Switzerland
Where until a few years ago there was a grain silo tower from the 1930s, today an elegant residential tower with a 30-metre-high solar façade rises into the Prättigau sky. Grüsch Mill in the Grisons municipality of Grüsch is Switzerland's first DGNB-certified reconstruction project. No

The wood that protects itself
Today, sawdust usually ends up in the oven. Tomorrow it could protect houses from fire. Researchers at ETH Zurich and Empa have developed a composite material that combines wood waste with the mineral struvite and achieves the fire protection class of conventional cement boards. The material

No longer a bonus, but mandatory
Is the heyday of sustainability already over? What was once a new departure and a will to shape the future is increasingly losing weight in day-to-day operations. Short-term solutions are being prioritized among cost, market and usage issues, while structural decisions are being postponed. Yet now

Winterthur is turning to solar power from the local area
Seven out of ten households in Winterthur currently have access to solar power from their local area. This is provided by 155 local communities, which bring together 535 of the 2,500 solar installations in Winterthur. The federal government supports local consumption by offering a

The City of Biel believes it is on track to meet its climate targets despite the obstacles
The city of Biel is well on its way to becoming climate-neutral in its administrative operations by 2040 and across the entire city by 2050. However, to achieve these goals in the long term, public participation is becoming increasingly

Zurich Soft Robotics installs a Solskin façade on the KELLER Diamant building
Zurich Soft Robotics GmbH is carrying out its largest project to date using its Solskin façade technology. An adaptive building envelope comprising 3,500 modules covering 1,300 square metres has been installed on the KELLER Diamant building in Winterthur. The façade combines dynamic shading with

Strategic reorientation with a focus on energy and technology
Margarita Aleksieva will take over as Head of BKW's Energy Production division at the beginning of April. She will also be promoted to the Group Executive Board. The current Head of Wind & Solar at the Bern-based energy supplier will follow in the footsteps of Philipp

Hydrogen can do a lot, but not everything
Hydrogen is supposed to heat houses, power cars and save industry. That sounds like a simple solution to a complex problem. The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research has now evaluated more than 100 studies and the result is clear: hydrogen is not a panacea, but a targeted tool.

Five stones, 220 apartments, one future
On April 2, 2026, a stone fell on one of Baden's last large building land reservoirs - five to be precise. The Brisgi site in the Kappelerhof district entered its decisive phase with a symbolic laying of the foundation stone. Around 220 affordable apartments will be built here by 2028, providing a

Largest solar power plant in the canton of Zurich goes into operation
The Zurich Cantonal Electricity Board (EKZ) has installed a solar power plant on the roofs of the Embraport with a total capacity of up to 4.5 megawatts. A further 1 megawatt and a large-scale battery are in the planning stage. The plant is operated and maintained by

Aargau Verkehr is relying on its own electricity supply for its electric buses
Aargau Verkehr AG has installed a solar power system at the bus depot in Fahrwangen in collaboration with AEW Energie AG. The system has been generating solar power since March. It is expected to be fully operational by the time the new electric buses are launched in October


