Arlesheim: Uptown Basel celebrates completion of first construction phase
The first milestone for the CHF 500 million Uptown Basel project in Arlesheim has been reached with the ceremonial opening of a building with 40,000 sqm of floor space.
In Building 1, called The Pioneer, the French technology groups Bouygues and Vinci have located 400 workplaces. The Straumann Group is soon to follow. According to the plans of the Uptown Basel makers, 50 to 100 companies with up to 2,500 jobs will one day reside on the site. As an "incubator for innovation and technology transfer," the project is to comprise nine buildings on more than 70,000 square meters within ten years. The investment volume is stated at half a billion francs. Behind the project is the private ownership of the family Monique and Thomas Staehelin.
Next step: construction of the energy centers
The next buildings in the construction process are the two energy centers for electricity and heat. The latter is the heart of Primeo Energie, which uses waste heat from the site as well as biomass to provide heat. The Birsstadt heating network currently brings together 25 existing heating plants and networks in the Birs Valley. The heating network will be converted to renewable energies and thus become independent of natural gas.
The basis for the development of Uptown Basel is the Untere Weiden II neighborhood plan, which was approved by the Arlesheim municipal assembly in March 2022 with 144 votes in favor to 20 against. (aw)
