Federal Council requests 218.1 million for civil federal buildings
At its meeting on 17 May 2023, the Federal Council adopted the Real Estate Dispatch 2023. In it, it proposes commitment credits of CHF 218.1 million to parliament. The largest construction projects include two expansion projects and a new building for the Swiss representation in Cameroon.
The largest single construction project in the Real Estate Message 2023 is the renovation and expansion of the Reckenholz greenhouse site (ZH). cHF 29.5 million have been budgeted for this. cHF 21.1 million are requested for the extension of the connecting level at the Liebefeld administrative centre (Köniz, BE). In addition, a new building is to be constructed in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé for the office and residence of the Swiss representation. The commitment credit for this amounts to CHF 27.5 million.
Renovation and expansion of the Reckenholz greenhouse site
Reckenholz is one of Agroscope’s two regional research centres. The external greenhouses there, as well as the building services in the operations building, have reached the end of their life cycle. The greenhouses will be replaced by energy-efficient and flexibly usable air-conditioned research chambers. The building services in the operations building will be renovated and adapted to the new requirements.
Extension of the connecting level at the Liebefeld Administrative Centre
The South Campus in Liebefeld is divided into several administrative and laboratory buildings for the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). in 2025, the Competence Centre for Agricultural Research (Agroscope), which is part of the FOAG, will move to Posieux. This will enable further development of the campus from 2026 onwards. In preparation for this, and in order to introduce mobile-flexible forms of work, the underground connection level is to be extended. This will improve the spatial and technical connections between existing buildings and any new buildings that may be added as part of the further development, as well as integrating them into the access and security concept.
Construction of the new office and residence in Yaoundé
The Swiss representation in Cameroon is currently housed in rented buildings. A flexible and functional embassy infrastructure is now to be built on a federally owned plot of land. The new building will simplify the functional processes between the chancellery, the residence and an official residence, which will now be located at the same site. This enables synergies in the security concept as well as the technical infrastructures and allows multifunctional use of the representative premises, for example.
Further real estate projects 2023
The Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (FBL) will use a further commitment credit of 140 million for projects not individually specified below an amount of 10 million Swiss francs, for property purchases that cannot be planned or are urgent, and for the planning of future real estate embassy projects.