Winterthur: LOKwerk to be expanded
The real estate fund CS REF Green Property wants to expand the LOKwerk shopping center in Winterthur. By 2020, 60 new apartments are to be built.
The LOKwerk shopping center was built in 2009, behind the listed facade of the old locomotive workshop on Zürcherstrasse in Winterthur. Now the owner, Credit Suisse Real Estate Fund Green Property (CS REF Green Property), wants to add more floors to the building. Plans call for around 60 1.5- to 4.5-room apartments with direct access to the shopping center.
Background to the construction measure: As part of the Upgrade project, the entire existing portfolio of Credit Suisse Real Estate Investment Management, comprising over a thousand properties in Switzerland, was examined for development potential. The aim was to uncover potential and achieve portfolio growth through expanded uses of existing properties. According to the fund company, the LOKwerk showed high utilization reserves in the residential sector. The increase is one of the first projects to be implemented.
Addition of storey in wooden construction
The overall performance competition for the extension was won by the company Erne Holzbau AG from Laufenburg (AG) together with fsp Architekten. The extension will be of timber construction, but the facade is metal-clad and harmonizes well with the mural appearance of the existing building. The plan is for sustainable construction to the Minergie-P standard with greenproperty certification, the seal of approval for sustainable real estate from Credit Suisse Real Estate Investment Management.
According to the fund management, the building application will be submitted soon. Construction is expected to begin in 2018 and should be completed by 2020.
