Story Detail
Welcome to the Riverside of Life
Great strides are being made in the development and repositioning of the former Sulzer site in Zuchwil. Over the next 15 to 20 years, a unique green and urban quarter named Riverside will emerge, providing space and opportunities for a wide variety of uses and designs – working, living and relaxing, business, nature and leisure directly on the River Aare.
With its unique location and size, the new urban quarter will lend fresh impetus and attractiveness to the municipality of Zuchwil. The objective is to use the independent character and special atmosphere of the newly created living environment to develop nationwide appeal.
Swiss Prime Site Solutions’ development expertise
The Riverside project is exemplary of Swiss Prime Site Solutions’ development expertise. Thanks to our qualified experts, Swiss Prime Site Solutions has the expertise to develop land, sites and existing buildings into valuable new locations and living environments. Our development pipeline is currently filled with about CHF 600 million worth of projects and properties in various locations throughout Switzerland.
«In recent years, we have positioned our services on the market and successfully delivered innovative site developments»
«In recent years, Swiss Prime Site Solutions has positioned its services on the market and successfully delivered innovative use concepts and site developments», says Anastasius Tschopp, CEO of Swiss Prime Site Solutions. Swiss Prime Site Solutions applies cooperative development planning and liaises with owners, investors, the public sector and other stakeholders. This cooperative development planning process is based on the location analysis, which provides inspiration for suitable use concepts and development scenarios for properties.
Development in a smooth and steady process
The master plan for the Riverside site was prepared in 2016 by a high-calibre team of architects, engineers, landscape planners, town planners and traffic planners. It is used as the basis for devising the zoning and design plans. The master plan also incorporated the requirements of the municipality of Zuchwil, as well as the results of an impact analysis initiated by the municipality.
The development of the new, green living and working environment is a smooth and steady process with a long time frame. Construction work will commence on the north-west of the site, where it immediately borders the River Aare and comes closest to the town of Solothurn. The new urban quarter will then extend southwards and eastwards in subsequent phases.
Facts Riverside Areal
- Site area measuring approx. 200 000 m2 including parks
- Local public recreation area measuring approx. 35 000 m2
- Around 800 people are working on the site
Ecology is in Riverside’s DNA
Riverside has incorporated one of Switzerland’s most powerful photovoltaic systems since autumn 2015 on the roof of the large industrial building. This illustrates the sustainability strategy of investor Swiss Prime Investment Foundation and Zuchwil’s policy as an «energy town». The system was also awarded the Swiss Solar Prize in 2016.
With a surface area of 37 390 m², the roof of the large industrial building is the ideal location for the impressive solar installation, whose 22 000 panels provide an energy output of 5 764 kWp. This installation alone covers the annual requirement of 2 726 people or 1 027 single-family houses. When compared to conventional solutions, this solution generates total CO2 savings of around 595 tonnes per year, which is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions of 104 new cars driving once around the earth.
The perfect combination of harmony and diversity
The future residential area has been split into ten construction sites that follow the principle of organised diversity. This organisational concept means different housing types will be distributed across the construction sites in several phases, creating a diverse ensemble with the character of an urban quarter. The individual phases will act as independent units with sufficient flexibility to cater for future demands or changes.
Construction commenced in April 2020. Marketing of the residential properties will begin in spring 2021. Phased completion and occupation are scheduled for winter 2021/spring 2022.
