Greencity - Offices for companies with vision

To be sure - the Zurich office property market is currently not quite as good as it was just a few years ago: Brisk construction activity, a growing supply and the economic environment are leaving their mark. So it's not surprising that plans are being shelved again and projects put on hold for the time being. But there are also companies that are not deterred. For example the Losinger Marazzi AG. At the end of October 2013, the Bern-based company submitted a building application to the city of Zurich for three of the four office buildings planned in Greencity, the new urban district in the south of Zurich. "Further clarifications are being made for the fourth building application before it will also be submitted," reports Ulrich Blessing, project manager at Losinger Marazzi. Construction of the buildings, with a total of 67,000 square meters of office space, is scheduled to begin next year; preparatory measures for construction - specifically, demolition of former factory buildings - also began in spring 2014; completion of the first office buildings is expected towards the end of 2015.

Blessing is convinced of the project's success, but Losinger Marazzi is not building entirely in the blue either: the marketing phase began a few months ago. "The interest is gratifying, although the Zurich office market is currently showing rather overcapacity." Blessing attributes this to the following reasons: firstly, to the quality of the buildings and their appealing architecture, for which such renowned offices as Gigon Guyer from Zurich, JSWD Architekten from Cologne and AS Architecture from Paris are responsible. Secondly, to the competitive price level - on average around CHF 280/sqm/year - and not least to the attractive Overall concept of the Greencitywhich is committed to the principles of sustainability.

Urban planning pilot project

The planning is indeed ambitious. In Wollishofen, on the approximately eight-hectare Manegg site, formerly the "Sihlpapier" company premises, Losinger Marazzi wants to realize Greencity, an urban development pilot project that is intended to set standards in terms of sustainability and energy efficiency. At the foot of the Üetliberg, between the highway and the Sihl River, office, commercial and residential buildings, stores and restaurants, fitness and health facilities as well as daycare centers, a school building and green spaces are to be built. Witnesses of the industrial past - a renovated and converted spinning mill, the factory canal, the old small power plant and a water tower - are to lend the quarter an unmistakable identity and charm. What's new: The quarter, based on the urban planning concept by Diener & Diener Architekten and Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten, will cover 100 percent of its energy needs for heating, cooling and electricity with renewable energies. Heating and cooling production will be ensured by geothermal energy use; CO2-neutral electricity will be supplied by a small hydroelectric power plant on the Sihl canal and photovoltaic systems; all new buildings will be constructed to the Minergie-P-ECO standard. As a place to live - 77,000 square meters of living space are planned - the low-traffic, family-friendly neighborhood offers a quiet home, surrounded by greenery and at the same time close to the city center. Residents will be able to find everything they need for their daily needs directly on site. On the first floors of many buildings and around Spinnereiplatz, the future center of the neighborhood, space is planned for smaller stores and service providers. Crèches, stores, restaurants, old people's homes and leisure facilities in the immediate vicinity are intended to reduce the need for mobility on the part of the district's residents. In addition to the privately funded residential buildings, three construction sites are reserved for non-profit developers, which should guarantee affordable housing in the area close to the city center. Cooperative housing developers will build 30 percent of the 750 apartments planned here.

Only 30 minutes to the airport

The district also scores points with its good transport links - not least with the tenants of the Pergamin I, Pergamin II and Vergé office buildings mentioned at the beginning, which are about to start construction. Thanks to its own S-Bahn stop, it takes just six minutes to get to the city center and only eleven minutes to Zurich's main train station. At the same time, the predominantly car-free quarter (cars disappear into underground garages under the buildings) is excellently connected for private transport to the A3 freeway network and the Üetliberg tunnel. Zurich Airport can be reached in around 30 minutes. "The fact that the project has a cost-sensitive approach to resources in addition to good public and private transport links and underground parking directly below the commercial area should also be very interesting for investors and tenants alike," says Blessing, pointing out that various sustainability certifications are possible through green building labels, such as LEED, BREEAM, MINERGIE-ECO or DGNB.

Homepage: http://www.greencity.ch/de/