Soil Quality Index

The Soil Quality Index project aims to give soil a voice in spatial planning. An index system is used to measure how well soil can fulfil its functions (e.g. heat reduction or flood protection). The Soil Quality Index thus provides an important basis for preserving healthy soil for future generations. The progress made in the ongoing pioneering projects can be found at bodenqualität.ch

Carole Imhof, Project Manager

Talk to me about: Healthy soils for a better quality of life, pilot projects for soil-conscious spatial planning, soil quality index

Project by Durabilitas

CEEX

CEEX is developing AI-based software that enables local electricity grid operators to better harmonise electricity production and consumption.

Christian Dollfus, Co-Founder

Talk to me about: PV and load forecasts, distribution network problems and their solutions

Eawag, Water Hub

The Water Hub (www.eawag.ch/en/waterhub) is a research project on circular sanitation at the interface between research and practice. Our Circular Sanitation Toolbox supports practitioners in the structured exploration of goals, strategies and technologies for decentralised, resource-oriented sanitation.

Rosanne Wielemaker, Water Hub Coordinator

Talk to me about: Urban water management, resource recovery from wastewater streams for water reuse and fertiliser production, collaborative research

ecobau

Ecobau simplifies sustainable planning and construction. To this end, we offer user-friendly reference works, checklists, and tools. We integrate our standards into the Minergie-ECO and SNBS building labels. We certify building materials and components according to health-related, recyclable, and ecological criteria in order to simplify product selection for builders, architects, and specialist planners.

Marianne Stähler, Managing Director

Talk to me about: Ecological, healthy, and recyclable building products, climate-friendly construction

ecoinfra suisse

ecoinfra suisse brings a systemic response to the loss of biodiversity: with the support of the Migros Pioneer Fund, it is encouraging a networked approach to nature conservation and national coordination.

Ivo Widmer, Co-Leiter der Geschäftsstelle

Talk to me about: How nature creates quality of life, spaces for people and biodiversity; shaping change together

Erlenmatt Ost

Erlenmatt Ost was built in line with the 2000-watt criteria and was awarded the Watt d’Or (building/space category) in 2019. When fully developed, the site will offer around 400 affordable flats and will have a very large self-consumption community (> 80% self-generated electricity).

Urs Buomberger, project developer

Talk to me about: ) Pioneering work in energy: sustainability implemented on a large scale 2) Building rights: opportunity for small building rights holders (including start-up cooperatives) to build their own homes, small-scale urban development 3) Development of communal areas: Through collaboration with residents.

A project of the Habitat Foundation

Expedition Zukunft

Expedition Zukunft designs and moderates collaborative political processes in order to develop and implement solutions capable of gaining majority support for the pressing challenges facing our society. As an innovation laboratory, it brings together politics, administration, business, science and civil society in a shared creative space – from non-partisan initiatives and legislative consultations to multi-stakeholder dialogues. This is how Switzerland’s political system is being made fit for the future.

Pascal Müller Scheiwiller, Co-Founder

Talk to me about: Politics, collaboration, innovation

Affordable housing – a toolkit for cities and municipalities

The toolkit presents ten measures for promoting affordable housing. Successful examples from various municipalities show how these can be implemented. As a practical tool, the toolkit supports cities and municipalities in developing housing policies that meet their needs.

Nynke van Duijn, Research Assistant

Talk to me about: Housing market and political framework conditions, affordable housing, resource-efficient and climate-resilient housing

A project of the Federal Office for Housing

Formel Siedlungsnatur

Formel Siedlungsnatur builds foundations for climate-resilient residential areas—creating and maintaining healthy living spaces for all.

Christoph Inhelder, Co-Geschäftsführer

Talk to me about: Cost-effective settlement ecology, successful participation processes, expert visualizations

Get Nature Positive

Get Nature Positive – your partner for biodiversity. Are you a building owner or developer who wants to play an active role in promoting biodiversity in Switzerland? We can help you achieve this!

Simon Zeller, Geschäftsführer

Talk to me about: Sustainability, biodiversity, real estate

Home60.ch – Wohnen im Alter

We want to be a guide for our users when it comes to housing in old age. Our mission is to enable people to network with others in Switzerland by creating their own profile for ‘shared accommodation and everyday support’. With our ‘private to private’ approach to finding accommodation, living space is freed up for other people because more people live in shared accommodation instead of alone and with too much living space. This approach does not require expensive investments in new buildings, but instead seeks to make efficient use of existing living space. In addition, shared accommodation is a social form of living and prevents loneliness in old age. Sharing living space can reduce an individual’s living costs and is a positive contribution to the environment.

Robert Ulrich, Founder and owner

Talk to me about: Types of housing for older people, everyday support for older people, shared accommodation

Publication ‘Planning guidelines for sustainable residential buildings in the asylum sector

The publication ‘Planning guidelines for sustainable residential buildings in the asylum sector’ written by HUMA / BEC concerns municipal and cantonal construction projects for the accommodation of refugees with long-term prospects of staying in Switzerland.

Martin Bölsterli, Pascal Angehrn, Founding Member

Talk to me about: Architecture, sustainability, social integration, participation

A project of the HUMA association

Hygroskin

Hygroskin is a cost-effective, scalable open source solution for greening, heat reduction, sponge cities and biodiversity on surfaces that are difficult or impossible to unseal. It does not replace unsealing – it replaces excuses for not being able to do anything. Hygroskin is designed as an intensive, mound-like substrate structure (25–80 cm) that stores water (>100 l/m²), evaporates in heat and cools significantly (18–25 °C difference to asphalt). This improves the microclimate, biodiversity and quality of life.

Ben Pohl, Co-Managing Director

Talk to me about: Urban climate knowledge as ‘Almend knowledge’, transformation knowledge for a socio-ecological paradigm shift in building culture, organisational knowledge for self-organisation.

A project of BI/AS

Madaster Services Switzerland AG

Madaster is your cadastre for materials and products. Madaster records data on all materials and products used in a structure, such as a bridge or a building. By recording each individual component, information is obtained on, among other things, the separability, bound CO2 and toxicity of materials and products. It is also possible to determine whether materials and products can be reused. Only through circular construction can we drastically reduce waste and CO2 emissions and achieve our climate goals.

Patrick Bergmann, Managing Director

Talk to me about: Grey greenhouse gas emissions, Circularity, Material passports

Study: Neighborhoods with short distances

High-resolution GIS data shows where neighborhoods with short distances exist in Switzerland today—with the most important everyday amenities within walking distance—and which neighborhoods have the potential for a higher quality of life and living. The study provides specific spatial planning recommendations.

Giovanni Di Carlo, Team Leader Spatial Planning

Talk to me about: Spatial planning, transport planning, architecture

A project by Metro

Neubad intergenerational house

The Neubad intergenerational house is located in the heart of Basel’s Neubad district. It is based on the idea of different generations living together under one roof and the mutual inspiration this brings to older and younger people alike. For us, living together is a concept. The people of both generations who live here have a rare treasure – time. A shared resource for which we offer a platform and which can be used and enjoyed in each other’s company, always with the aim of mutual inspiration and the opportunity to learn and benefit from each other.

Dominik Lehmann, Director

Talk to me about: Old and young. Vocational training. Assisted living.

Oxara

Oxara is launching a circular alternative to cement that reduces the CO₂ emissions by 50% and promotes a climate-neutral construction industry.

Leonie Isler, Lead Marketing & Sustainability

Talk to me about: Circular economy in construction, cement-free solutions to reduce CO₂ emissions, strategies that connect science and industry to achieve sustainable impact

Posmo Genossenschaft

POSMO is establishing a data cooperative and making mobility data available for social purposes.

Roger Fischer, Verwaltungsratspräsident

Talk to me about: building a new hybrid business model, sustainable mobility, a citizen data commons

Pretty Good

Pretty Good aims to extend the lifespan of everyday objects and make our consumer behaviour recyclable by systemically embedding low-threshold repair and second-hand offers.

Jonas Beer, Mitgründer

Talk to me about: Circular economy, reuse, repair

RegioMove

Whether reflected by the sharing economy, electric mobility or traffic automation, our mobility is being transformed at a breathtaking pace. Many regions, cities and communities across Switzerland face similar challenges. RegioMove is supporting local authorities and decision-makers in the analysis, conceptual design, strategy creation and implementation of pioneering mobility solutions.

Zoltan Laszlo, CEO

Talk to me about: Promoting efficient and sustainable mobility / Making Switzerland accessible to everyone, anytime, anywhere / Using technology to benefit the economy

Rematter

Rematter brings recyclable, low-emission building materials to the market that will replace concrete to decarbonise construction.

Götz Hilber, CEO

Talk to me about: Your next construction project, Investments, Collaboration.

RezActifs

Rez Actifs promotes the creation and spread of “one-planet-neigbourhoods” – neighbourhoods that focus equally on the well-being of their residents and that of the planet.

Ludovic Lafont, Coordinator

Talk to me about: Developing one planet neighbourhoods; Providing Experts to support entrepreneurs ; Creating new businesses link to the ecological transition and neighbourhoods

Scandens

With the support of the Migros Pioneer Fund, Scandens will make it easier in the future to plan and implement energy upgrades for buildings, thus speeding up the transformation towards a climate-compatible construction sector in Switzerland.

Diego Sigrist, Co-Founder

Talk to me about: Real estate portfolios, decarbonization of existing buildings, portfolio and asset management

staatslabor

As a centre of expertise, the initiative makes available to public administrations modern innovation methods that are already being successfully applied in private business and NGOs. To this end, the staatslabor has put together a programme made up of information packages and workshops, is building a viable community made up of interested players within and outside the sphere of administrations, and checks the effectiveness of the innovation methods against concrete case examples.

Alenka Bonnard, Co-Founder

Talk to me about: Government et policy innovation – Creating the best possible atmospheres to host meaningful conversations – Foreign affairs

SwissDGS

SwissDGS aims to promote deep geothermal energy in Switzerland with a reliable and safe closed-loop system, making energy supply independent of weather conditions and raw materials.

Jon Mengiardi, Geschäftsführer

Talk to me about: Sustainable energy supply, geothermal energy, heat supply

Timber Finance Initiative

Timber Finance Initiative is developing sustainable investment opportunities for the forestry and timber industry, so that concrete and steel can be increasingly replaced with wood, a more climate-friendly construction material.

Frank Vasek, Geschäftsführer

Talk to me about: Positive emission strategies by the state, canton, city, municipalities, sustainable construction and use of sustainable building methods, forest use, and raising public awareness of forest management

Urban Equipe

The Urban Equipe association advocates for the democratisation of urban development and urban design. This also includes the issue of housing, or to put it another way: how do we build, who do we build for, and how do we secure and create affordable housing for a diverse and growing urban society? Urban Equipe conducts research on these topics, such as in the project ‘Wohnungsbau schlau etappieren’ (Smart Staging of Housing Construction), advises housing developers on new projects, supports the tenants’ association in its efforts in cases of large-scale evictions, and initiates exchange formats, city walks, and mediation formats on the topic, such as the series ‘Sozialökologische Bauwende jetzt!’ (Social-Ecological Construction Transition Now!).

The association also deals with other topics: digital participation platforms, participatory budgets, art and construction, civil society engagement, etc.

Antonia Steger, Lars Kaiser, Sabeth Tödtli, founding members

Talk to me about: socio-ecological construction transition, housing crisis, spatial planning, participation

URBANISTICA – Vereinigung für guten Städtebau

URBANISTICA is committed to sustainable spatial development and good urban planning in Switzerland. Our space is one of our most important resources. It is limited and must meet many needs. With its manifesto and spatial strategy, URBANISTICA presents feasible proposals that are intended to stimulate the necessary discussion on spatial planning, including among the general public.

Balz Halter, Co-initiator

Talk to me about: 1. How can we tackle the housing shortage? 2. How can the internal development required by the RPG be implemented in a meaningful way? 3. What is urban planning and what can it achieve?

useagain

We make component reuse simple, accessible and quality assured. Standards and digital tools create a marketplace that functions reliably – supported by a network in which knowledge and responsibility are shared.

Ayra Tice, Project management

Talk to me about: Reuse, social transformation, scalable software

VaLoo

VaLoo wants to smooth the way for the circular nutrient economy. The project is triggering a paradigm shift in the way sewage is dealt with – for circular and resource-oriented sewage management in Switzerland.

Louise Carpentier, Geschäftsleiterin

Talk to me about: Water reuse / Circular economy / Sanitation

Wohnwerk Teiggi

Since 2018, the Wohnwerk Teiggi has stood on the site of the former Wenger pasta factory in Kriens. Around 200 people live in 88 flats and studios. Thanks to efficient floor plans and shared infrastructure, space consumption is reduced to less than 35 m² per person – sustainably and without any loss of quality.

Angela Meier, Managing Director

Talk to me about: 1. We promote vibrant neighbourhoods by combining residential and commercial use, communal areas that can be appropriated and participatory structures. Needs-oriented, functional construction is combined with high urban planning quality. 2. Affordable residential and commercial space is the focus. We reduce per capita land consumption and promote social diversity. 3. We build with and within existing structures, focusing on circular planning, reuse and flexible, adaptable uses. Our projects are simple, experimental and challenge established standards.

A project by the Wohnwerk cooperative

Zentrale Pratteln

A residential development comprising around 450 flats is being built in Pratteln, with a total of six non-profit housing associations involved. Within this consortium, HOMEBASE is constructing its own residential building with 80 flats. Another project in Basel is currently in the planning stage. The construction method is based exclusively on recyclable materials and does not require any conventional heating systems. This results in buildings with very low energy requirements and extremely low ancillary costs. The rental costs are around 40% below the market average, enabling permanently affordable living.

Felix Leuppi, President

Talk to me about: innovative, modular housing projects, affordable living space.

A project of the HOMEBASE cooperative

Zirkular

In order to build in a sustainable and climate-friendly manner, the Swiss construction sector needs to put its focus on the concept of circular economy. The specialist planning office Zirkular wants to transform the reuse of building components into standard practice.

Andreas Oefner, Geschäftsführer

Talk to me about: Circular economy, sustainable construction, existing buildings as an opportunity