"The canton invests 360 million in public works"

Giovanni Realini, Head of the Logistics Department of the Cantonal Ministry of Finance and Economics, explains how the Canton will support the Ticino economy over the next four years with substantial investments in its real estate assets. An overview of the main works in the program.

What exactly does the logistics department of the DFE do?
The logistics department mainly deals with the management of real estate assets in the canton of Ticino. We are talking about assets of around CHF 2 billion. We manage, optimize and develop every aspect of the real estate portfolio’s life cycle. In practice, our work ranges from logistical planning to feasibility studies, project management, implementation and maintenance of the built asset. The logistics department also takes care of all purchases for the public administration, for example – to stay up to date – from disinfectants to masks to school supplies.

Let’s focus on the real estate sector: can you give us some numbers?
For the canton’s real estate assets, around 360 million francs are expected to be invested in buildings over the next four years, including new buildings and renovations of existing properties. In 2019, the cantonal parliament voted on a framework design loan of 60 million francs, which will enable the planning of various administrative and school buildings through competitions. This year the State Council granted Parliament an additional framework loan of CHF 100 million for the planned maintenance of public buildings for the next 6 years.

In summary, it can be said that the canton will invest a lot of money in the form of public works in the Ticino economy over the next few years. Definitely a breath of fresh air in times of the coronavirus crisis …
This is a very important message for the cantonal economy. What we are experiencing is a moment when the residential sector tends to decline and it is the public institution that can partially compensate for the planned loss with various projects and investments. The crisis was foreseen, but with the Covid-19 pandemic, it worsened. This countercyclical public investment should help offset part of the decline in private residential investment expected in the coming years. The investments include the construction of new buildings and the planned maintenance of our buildings as well as complete renovations and partial renovations. These are investments that give businesses and professionals in our region work.

Can you give us some examples of these new projects?
Among the main works we currently have open competitions for the technical center of the textile sector in Chiasso, the shooting range of Ceneri, the school sector of Mendrisio, the judiciary sector of Lugano as well as a parallel study mandate for the new museum. the natural history of Locarno. In addition, there is the competition for the renovation of Locarno Pretorio and a triple grammar school in Bellinzona (to be published at the end of the year).
In parallel to the competitions, the new Mendrisio emergency center, the ICEC school center in Bellinzona and the expansion of the secondary schools in Viganello will be completed.

When you return to the new technical center of the textile industry in Chiasso, can you illustrate the history of this long-awaited project in a little more detail?
This is all due to the fact that what is now the Viganello headquarters of the College of Clothing and Fashion Design (STA) has reached the end of its life cycle and must be demolished.
Alternative locations were analyzed through feasibility studies. After these analyzes, the decision was made in favor of Chiasso because of its proximity to the “Valley of Fashion” of Mendrisiotto, where many clothing companies are based. In addition, the location near the railroad favors the mobility of students in public transport. A reality is building near traffic junctions, which is developing all over Switzerland. In addition, the Chiasso area, where the Textile Technical Professional Center is being built, could be expanded to include more educational content and become a real training center.

And what about the new shooting range in Monte Ceneri that has been talked about for over a decade?
The new multifunctional training and shooting center of Monte Ceneri is an important, special and unique project with an expected investment of around 55 million francs. A very important project stemming from the desire to create a centralized cantonal structure where the police can conduct their training and where the mandatory shots of military service can be held, eliminating today’s open firing ranges that cause problems Environment and noise. In fact, the shooting range will be completely covered and in an area where some military and police activity has already been concentrated. The announced competition offers detailed specifications for every aspect, from technology to landscape to acoustics. This is a unique and quite innovative project as there are only a few smaller underground shooting ranges in Switzerland.

Are there any other major projects in sight besides the ones mentioned?
One of them is certainly the restructuring of the judicial offices in Lugano, which includes the restructuring of the current courthouse and the expansion of the space in the current headquarters of EFG Bank, the so-called “Palazzo Botta”. For this project, the canton is planning an important investment in the purchase and renovation of the EFG bank building and the renovation of the current courthouse, which will take a few years. It is a very important project both for the canton, which can use a prestigious and high-quality building with an important surface in the center of Lugano and near the current headquarters to concentrate its activities, and for the city.

What kind of renovation is planned for this prestigious building?
It is a highly flexible building in a good state of preservation, which enables the rooms to be rearranged without major interventions. The exterior will most likely not be touched while the interiors will be partially rearranged. The main intervention will take place on the ground floor, where some courtrooms will be created.

Are you also planning to invest in Bellinzona?
The parallel study mandate for the SBB workshop area, jointly funded by the canton, the municipality of Bellinzona and the Swiss Federal Railways, has now ended. The point is to define the development of this sector, in which administration and school rooms as well as an innovation center are available to the canton. The results of the parallel study mandate were presented in the last few weeks. It is a modern district that was designed taking into account the issues of sustainability, generation generation and slow mobility with the aim of offering living and working spaces. It is also intended to build the headquarters of the Ticino network of the Swiss Innovation Park. This is an ambitious project whose planning work, which will begin shortly, will include a multi-year implementation.

What are the prospects for the canton’s real estate assets?
I think that we as public actors have to ensure sustainable development, i. H. The balance between architectural, environmental, social and financial criteria so as to ensure the overall quality of our buildings. We must also think about the transformation of work and the use of land, especially the administrative ones. According to two studies that we carried out in cooperation with SUPSI, with regard to the use of rooms in the school and administrative environment, an increase in intelligent working from home is expected on the one hand and an increase in the available space for staff working with more agile working methods will work in the office, and consequently different work and aggregation rooms that are shared. Even after the coronavirus pandemic, the distance between one employee and another is sure to change. The current minimum area per employee will likely be revised upwards. The open spaces that have become so popular in recent years will probably be transformed into various workplaces, with meeting and exchange rooms that follow a horizontal work organization perspective and are no longer just pyramidal. In practice, there will be fewer on-site workspaces, but with more space for each individual employee, this will likely lead to a reduction in office needs. The surfaces associated with the training will be changed according to the new didactic solutions, which will lead to more flexible spaces that will lead to a rethinking in traditional classrooms. ■

Intervista a cura di Antonio Campagnuolo