Everything will be new on the Rösslimatt site by 2040

Luzern, April 2023

The SBB Rösslimatt site is to be transformed from a place characterised by track fields into a sustainable urban district. By 2040, a new living space will be created on around 42,000 square metres, which is already certified as a "2000-watt site under development" by Energy Switzerland.

The Rösslimatt site in the middle of Lucerne borders railway tracks on both sides. It is to be completely redesigned by 2040.

The area is divided into different construction sites and will be realised in three stages. In the first stage between 2018 and 2025, construction sites A to C will be developed and Güterstrasse 7 will be gently redeveloped. In the second stage, from 2025 to 2040, an interim use is planned for the exposed areas. In the third stage and after the realisation of the Lucerne through station from around 2040, the development of new uses with a focus on housing is planned on construction sites D to F. The development of a new residential building is planned on construction site A.

A 180-metre-long, sustainable building designed by architect Rolf Mühlethaler is being built on construction site A. It will be realised on the site of an old goods shed that was demolished in 2020. The façade of the new building is characterised by surrounding verandas as well as a two-storey arcade on the side of the new Walter-von-Moos-Promenade with a weather-protected wood and glass façade made of local wood.

The new building has around 21,600 square metres of lettable space. At the end of 2019, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts was secured as the main tenant. It intends to start its university operations on around 16,000 square metres from the autumn semester of 2025. The ground floor will be characterised by public-oriented uses such as a cafeteria, a café, meeting zones and a large lecture hall. In particular, the track loggia, a striking two-storey opening in the long building, and the newly designed Bürgenplatz, together with the planned catering uses, will form new urban meeting places.

A mixed-use building is to be constructed on construction sites B and C. After the architectural competition concluded in February 2020, the winning project by the consortium Demuth Hagenmüller Lamprecht Architekten with Alessandra Villa Architektur was recommended for further work by the monitoring committee and is currently under construction.

In September 2020, the pharmaceutical company MSD committed itself to the Lucerne site. It will move into around 15,000 square metres of office space on construction sites B and C. Site preparation began in the second quarter of 2021, and occupation is planned for 2025.

Both new buildings have space that has not yet been let.

The building at Güterstrasse 7 was erected in 1905 and is listed as an object worthy of preservation in the building inventory of the city of Lucerne. This building with its historic façade design is a 7-storey masonry structure consisting of a basement, five upper floors and an attic. It includes commercial and residential space. The building was refurbished in 2020 and the space occupied in 2021. The gentle refurbishment made it possible to make the flats available again at moderate rents.

The Rösslimatt site is being developed in a sustainable, demand-oriented and high-quality manner. The connection of the site to the district heating and cooling network of Energie Wasser Luzern guarantees 100 percent sustainable generation of heat and cooling. The central location allows optimal use of the existing public transport services as well as several offers for car and bike sharing.

In addition to the criteria of the 2000-watt society, the goals of the Swiss Society for Sustainable Real Estate at the silver level are met. In September 2019, the Rösslimatt was awarded for its demonstrable and exemplary results according to the 2000-watt site criteria in the development phase and recertified in 2021.

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