The diverse range of spaces in Stücki Park caters to a large variety of tenants and visitors. People of all ages will be able to meet here, whether they are working in the Business Park or visiting the Leisure Park, within walking distance, of entertainment, sport or a carefully curated food and gastronomic experience. Through the transformation of the existing shopping centre and the newly completed development, Stücki Park has evolved into a vibrant hub in recent years, closely interacting with the surrounding neighbourhood and the city of Basel.

After the successful construction of the Tech Park’s long linear building in 2011, the four «finger docks» of the Stücki Park II project are the finishing touches of the life sciences area in the Business Park. They comprise three buildings with laboratory and research spaces as well as a building with office space that can be leased out both for long and short terms of contract. A walkway has been built over Badenerstrasse, connecting the Business Park with the service, shopping and entertainment areas in the Leisure Park. The four new buildings are connected by a shared three-storey base structure below ground level, where the spacious underground car park is located. The completion of works created space for around 1 700 additional workspaces in Stücki Park, bringing the total number of workspaces to 4 000. The site stands out for its focus on modern research and laboratory facilities, providing researchers and scientists with optimal conditions to carry out their work. At the same time, there is a substantial amount of office space, with flexible working environments designed to promote dialogue and collaboration.

The tenant Superlab Suisse has been providing an innovative «lab-as-a-service» at Stücki Park since mid-2024. This includes turnkey laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment and flexible, selectable additional operational services so that research groups can focus their time and financial resources on their work rather than on infrastructure issues.

The Stücki «Leisure Park» has already been recognised as a sustainable existing building with «BREEAM in Use» certification. The photovoltaic system alone produces around 1 000 MWh of electricity per year. The new buildings in Stücki Park II are certified to SGNI and meet the highest sustainability requirements. For example, the finger-shaped buildings are equipped with energy-efficient systems that significantly reduce the operational footprint. Green outdoor spaces throughout the entire Stücki Park contribute to an improved microclimate and provide employees and visitors with attractive outdoor areas.

Besides its architectural merit, the whole of Stücki Park is brought to life by a wide range of events and activities that strengthen the sense of community and promote interaction between the various users. From scientific conferences and workshops to cultural events and leisure activities, Stücki Park has developed into a vibrant hub of 
life and innovation.

Facts & Figures

• Project: Stücki Park II
• Building contractor: Swiss Prime Site
• Architecture: Blaser Architekten AG
• Use: Laboratory and offices
• Floor space: 28 000 m²
• Completion: End of 2024
• Construction phase: 2020–2023 (basic fit-out, then tenant-specific fit-outs)
• Certification: SGNI (DGNB) Gold

www.stueckipark.ch

Swiss Prime Site has gone on a remarkable journey since it was founded on 11 May 1999. Today, we are one of the most significant players in the real estate industry, with a commitment that extends well beyond simply creating buildings – because we focus on the people who live, work and spend their leisure time in them. 

Looking back

The inauguration of Messeturm Basel at the start of the 2000s was an early example of our visionary thinking and a signpost for the future. Almost ten years later, we once again showed what a forward-thinking developer can do with the opening of Prime Tower, another architectural and urban development flagship project. The iconic tower has greatly influenced the development of Zurich-West and is still one of the tallest buildings in Switzerland, a dominant presence in the skyline of Zurich and beyond.

Our company history has seen a wealth of key strategic acquisitions and developments. They include the acquisition of Maag Holding (2005), which led to the development of the Maag site. The purchase of the Jelmoli portfolio in 2009 added numerous attractive properties to our investment portfolio, which doubled in value to around CHF 8 billion.

The ensuing years were marked by growth both organic and inorganic, and we continuously added to our company portfolio. In 2012, the area of facility management of our own properties was expanded with the acquisition of real estate service provider Wincasa. With the acquisition of Tertianum, the Swiss specialist for assisted accommodation, we also added the sector of «senior living» to our portfolio. Diversification was the right approach at that time, but the world has changed since then. Today, the key is to refine the corporate profile.

So over recent years, we have decided on a forward-looking focus for our corporate strategy, and this led us to place our group companies Wincasa and Tertianum in new hands. This step enables us to concentrate on our core competencies, while we continue to maintain our established partnerships with both these companies. Wincasa remains our property management partner and Tertianum one of our largest tenants. We are grateful for the valuable partnerships that we have built up with our customers and partners over the years, and look forward to further strengthening these relationships in our new strategic direction.

Today, our business model is based on two areas: Real Estate and Asset Management.

«Our scale gives us a decisive advantage in extensively leveraging our experience and expertise. Our size means we can drive innovation in construction and building operations, develop large sites and offer a wide range of products and solutions for a sustainable real estate industry.» 

René Zahnd, CEO of Swiss Prime Site

According to current estimations, around 40% of global CO₂ emissions are caused by real estate, with approximately 70% being produced while a building is in operation, and 30% during construction. We can no longer view the economy as a linear process – instead, we must see it as circular, because resources are not infinite. This means consciously using all materials up until the end of a product’s service life and documenting them accordingly, so that they can be fed back into the closed loop in a way that preserves value and resources.

However, today’s economy still largely follows the linear process logic of raw material, production, product, consumption, waste. Here’s a simple example: while dial telephones of the past lasted a good 40 years, the only thing that generally matters in today’s modern smartphones is performance, which is improved every two to three years to such a degree that the device is ready to be replaced again almost as soon as it has been purchased. For this reason, we need to rethink our approach and go back to manufacturing products which last longer and which suppliers can strip down to individual materials at the end of their service life, so that the resources can be fully fed back into the closed loop. 

Tackling challenges

The «circular economy» as a maxim of responsible action also needs to be more firmly anchored in the minds of the real estate sector. As a major real estate company, Swiss Prime has been committed to «circular construction» for some time, and was also the first signatory of the corresponding charter.

Its goal is to reduce the use of non- renewable primary raw materials to 50% of total volume, to record and significantly reduce the output of grey greenhouse gas emissions, and to measure and significantly improve the circular potential of renovations and new builds by 2030.

More specifically, this means making a careful assessment of the extent to which total demolition can be avoided and whether a renovation would be possible in place of a new build. If a new building is nevertheless required, it should be built with as long-term a perspective as possible. In general, it is important to reduce the use of materials and to record CO₂ emissions and resource requirements in order to ensure that, if demolition is necessary at a later date, the materials can be fully reused. In addition, when choosing the materials, the risks of pollutants should be kept to a minimum, while waste should be reduced during production and subsequent demolition. 

Leading by example

At Swiss Prime Site, the redevelopment project on Müllerstrasse in Zurich is a milestone, as most of the building shell was retained and 90% of the concrete reused, thereby saving 2 600 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Swiss Prime Site’s latest development projects consider even more aspects of sustainability. The «JED» new build project in Schlieren follows the «2226» approach: heating, mechanical ventilation and cooling are not needed at all in the office space, while operating energy expenses are minimised thanks to the particularly climate-­resilient building envelope.

A deliberate choice was made to preserve one building at the «YOND Campus» in Zurich Albisrieden, and the components and materials from the demolition that are suitable for reuse will be assessed. One particular planning specification in this project is to design the new buildings to be as neutral as possible for use as office or commercial space and, for the first time, consistently construct them using at least 50% renewable primary raw materials.

In addition to the ambitious targets for planning and implementation, Swiss Prime Site will also make an impact with this project when it comes to social sustainability and focus on «inclusion» when marketing the rental space. More information about the project and this approach are available on the corresponding website.