
New economic alliance strengthens the voice of the Bernese Oberland
Wirtschaft Thun Oberland and HIV Interlaken-Oberhasli are merging. From 2027, they will operate as the Bernese Oberland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The organisation represents the interests of trade, industry, commerce, services and tourism. It is chaired by Carlos

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


Renewable fuel arrives at the construction site
The cleantech company Synhelion has refuelled an excavator with its renewable diesel for the first time. The heavy construction machine, owned by Eberhard Bau AG, is in use at the Brütten Tunnel construction site near Bassersdorf, Zurich, and is reportedly running smoothly

Pension fund assets are increasingly being channelled into residential property and sustainability
Pensimo Management AG’s four real estate investment funds distributed a total of just over 328 million Swiss francs to Swiss pension funds in 2025. Assets under management rose to 15.7 billion Swiss francs, whilst Pensimo continued to reduce CO2 emissions across its

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

The merger marks the next step in the company’s expansion into the Swiss market
With the acquisition of Bern-based Elektro ERTI AG, InstallerGroup Switzerland has expanded its presence beyond the greater Zurich area for the first time. Elektro ERTI AG will continue to operate under its existing name and will remain under the leadership of its founder, Ertugrul

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

Winterthur is strengthening security of supply with new energy solutions
In the 2025 financial year, Stadtwerk Winterthur generated CHF 36 million, around CHF 10 million more than in the previous year. This is attributed to low temperatures and favourable energy procurement. Meanwhile, the expansion of renewable energy is

New partnership expands the range of products available on the Swiss construction machinery market
BRC Baumaschinen AG is to become the exclusive general importer for Shantui in Switzerland. The supplier of machinery for building construction, civil engineering, road construction and landscaping will in future offer a wide range of machinery and related services from the Chinese manufacturer at

CO₂ mineralisation used in a commercial construction project for the first time
Holcim has joined forces with the Swedish start-up Paebbl and the German main contractor Goldbeck to incorporate carbon storage into Holcim concrete. The companies have used Paebbl’s CO₂ mineralisation technology in the construction of a logistics centre in southern Germany, sequestering 886

Modernisation improves vertical mobility in a high-rise complex
The UOB Plaza modernisation project is featured in the April issue of *Elevator World* magazine. As part of the project, Schindler fitted the twin towers of UOB Plaza in Singapore with new lifts, escalators and smart mobility technologies between 2022 and

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

When the roof of the car becomes a power station
An electric car that is largely self-powered sounds like a dream of the future. But a European research project is now providing tangible figures. Solar cells integrated directly into vehicles could dramatically reduce the electricity requirements of entire fleets and relieve the strain on the

The canton buys itself out
The canton of Lucerne is buying a property from its own outsourced organization and paying almost five million francs more than necessary. A bidding process drove up the price, although in the end only one buyer was seriously considered anyway. The resulting debate could permanently change the

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


The future of Ticino lies between the lecture hall and emigration
Around 800 young adults leave Ticino for German-speaking or French-speaking Switzerland every year. Only half of them return. At the same time, the canton is investing more heavily in research and innovation than ever before. Whether this calculation works out will determine the economic future of

Data-driven maintenance is being adopted in new infrastructure projects
DuraMon has fitted Austria’s first underground car park with 160 of its sensors. The company, founded by CEO Yurena Seguí Femenias, thus enables long-term corrosion monitoring and data-driven maintenance. Around half of its projects are in Switzerland, with the remainder mainly in the other DACH


Swiss industry supplies infrastructure for climate-friendly steel production
Georg Fischer AG (GF) is involved in the construction of a new Green Steel plant for the steel group SSAB in Sweden. The company is supplying a marine water intake system and an onshore pipework system for the plant’s cooling water

Pestalozzi invites applications for the 2026 Stiftepriis
The Pestalozzi Group is launching the application phase for the Stiftepriis 2026 in June. The award recognises apprenticeship graduates in the fields of building envelope and technology as well as metal construction and processing with an average grade of 5.1 or higher. The application deadline is

New modernisation solutions extend the service life of existing lifts
Schindler Elevators has launched two modernisation packages for ageing hydraulic lifts in the USA: Schindler ReStore and Schindler ReNew. This enables building owners to proactively modernise their lifts before repair costs are incurred or lifts have to be replaced altogether.

Zurich minimises construction risks in North America with telematics
The North American representative of insurer Zurich has unveiled a new video telematics initiative as part of National Construction Safety Week. The aim is to promote safe driving behaviour on construction projects and thus reduce risks for construction stakeholders. The initiative is part of a

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

Acquisition strengthens building technology expertise in the infrastructure sector
The Burkhalter Group has announced the acquisition of Progressio Holding GmbH from Tamins and its subsidiary anplaq ag. The aim of the acquisition is to further develop anplaq, which specialises in energy and water infrastructure, within a larger

Planned technology centre could create thousands of jobs
The canton of Aargau wants to create the conditions to make the Tägerhardächer area in Wettingen available to Hitachi Energy as a site. According to the cantonal government, this could secure 1000 existing jobs in Aargau and attract up to 2000 new

A clear majority accept wind farms
Three-quarters of St. Gallen’s population would support a wind farm within the city limits. This is shown by a study conducted by the University of St. Gallen. However, opponents reject the idea far more emotionally than supporters endorse it. The fact that the wind turbines are sourced from
