Zug Estates commenced work on the new campus of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in July 2017 after the building permit had been obtained. The laying of the foundation stone on February 22, 2018, marked a further milestone in the construction project at the Suurstoffi site in Risch Rotkreuz. In the presence of about 150 people, Prof. Christine Böckelmann, Dean of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – School of Business, and Prof. René Hüsler, Dean of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – School of Information Technology, underscored the potential in terms of content-related cooperation and the synergies arising from the joint use of the infrastructure. Beginning in fall 2019, the School of Business of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts will move the Institute of Financial Services IFZ from Zug to Rotkreuz. The university’s School of Information Technology has been located at the Suurstoffi site since fall 2016. Until the construction work is completed it is housed in a number of rented buildings. With the move, Rotkreuz is developing into the IT and finance campus of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

“Establishing a base here for Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts was an intensive process,” says Peter Hausherr, mayor of Risch Rotkreuz. “We made the impossible possible through hard work.” He is confident that the university – and with it the key discipline of IT – will fit well into the regional corporate landscape. “It will lend inspiration to the existing force of innovation and will facilitate valuable cooperations.”

Planning security thanks to BIM and lean construction

The overall construction project, which is located next to Rotkreuz rail station, comprises three buildings with a total of 26 000 m² of rentable office and commercial space. The investment volume is approx. CHF 185 million. Long-term contracts have been signed with Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts for around 70% of this space. As Tobias Achermann, CEO Zug Estates Holding AG, confirmed, the university will be able to move into the new premises by fall 2019. The rental contract will run for 30 years. The second phase of this construction project, which includes additional commercial space, will be completed by summer 2020.

A tight schedule will have to be adhered to until the first students can start studying on the new campus. Zug Estates is relying on BIM (building information modeling), as in previous projects. Together with lean construction, this method results in greater planning security and execution quality. Two of the three buildings are being built using the timber-hybrid construction technique. All wooden elements will be produced from 3D architect's plans at ERNE AG Holzbau. Delivery will be made in modules on a just-in-time basis, thus considerably shortening the on-site construction time. Upon completion, the new 60-meter high-rise on the Suurstoffi site will be the tallest wooden building in Switzerland. The current record holder is high-rise S22, located on the same site.

Suurstoffi site

The Suurstoffi site, next to Rotkreuz station, will thus be home to a sustainable mixed-use district with space for around 1,500 inhabitants, about 2,000 students and over 2,500 jobs.