New construction project bolsters the research hub in the Bernese Oberland
Funding has been secured for the new building of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in Thun Nord. The city is providing an interest-free loan of 16 million Swiss francs and acting as guarantor for a federal loan of 10 million. Empa is investing 16 million, whilst Halter AG, as a development partner, is contributing 5 million.
The cost of constructing the new Empa building on plot B5 of the Thun Nord site amounts to 47 million Swiss francs. According to a press release, a financing solution has now been put forward. The City of Thun states in a press release that the project will be financed through a new site development company to be established, in which four partners will hold stakes.
Under the proposal, the City of Thun will provide a mortgage-backed, interest-free loan of 16 million Swiss francs. It will also provide a guarantee for a loan for which the Canton of Bern has issued a letter of intent under the New Regional Policy for 10 million Swiss francs. Empa is investing CHF 16 million in laboratories and the technical centre. Halter AG, as the development partner for the site, is contributing CHF 5 million. The site development company is to be transferred to investors once the project is completed.
The Thun City Council will decide on the current proposal at its meeting on 30 April. Planning permission for the first phase on construction site B5 has already been granted. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2027, with completion expected by the end of 2029.
“The City of Thun has a keen interest in the realisation of the new building,” Mayor Raphael Lanz is quoted as saying in the press release. “Empa secures long-term, highly skilled jobs in research and development, generates regional value creation and strengthens Thun as a technology and innovation hub within the Canton of Bern.”
Empa has had a research site in Thun since 1994. Here, it conducts research in the fields of high technology and materials.
A new district is taking shape in Thun Nord. Alongside the first concrete project on the B5 construction site, the planned Thun Nord S-Bahn station plays a central role. The total potential of the Thun Nord site encompasses around 6,500 jobs.