8400 Winterthur

LOKwerk Winterthur

Portfolio growth without consumption of cultivated land
According to the latest revision of the Spatial Planning Act, urban sprawl is to be halted and land consumption in Switzerland curbed. The densification of existing settlement areas by exploiting existing potential is therefore becoming increasingly important.

Staged approach and suitable procedure for the best possible result
The Real Estate department of Credit Suisse Asset Management (Schweiz) AG systematically reviewed the existing portfolio of its real estate funds, comprising over 1,000 properties, to identify potential for utilization. The LOKwerk shopping center in Winterthur was found to have high reserves. A feasibility study was able to optimally identify the opportunities and risks. The owner then decided to commission Wincasa to organize and conduct an overall performance competition with six invited teams.

Overall performance competition
The main tasks included compiling the basic documents, drawing up the specifications, preliminary examination of the submitted projects and moderating the assessment. Compared to a pure architectural competition, the overall performance competition allowed the important criteria for this project, such as sustainability, economic efficiency and, in particular, the impact on the existing building, to be optimally taken into account. The deliberately open formulation of the brief enabled innovative solutions to be proposed.

The high-caliber eight-member jury ultimately selected the project of the team
ERNE AG Holzbau in collaboration with FSP Architekten AG as the winner. Their design impressed the jury with its good urban and architectural design and the clever structural concept with the least impact on the existing building. The project was subsequently revised based on input from the Wincasa Letting Advisory marketing department and the recommendations of the assessment panel. The planning application was submitted at the end of February 2017. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2018.

Added value for the property through densificationBy adding 60 apartments to the shopping center, considerable added value can be generated for the owner of the property - without additional consumption of cultivated land:

• Diversification of rental income

• Increased frequency of the shopping center

• Upgrading the shopping center as a neighborhood meeting place

• Additional attractive living space in a central location

www.lokwerk.ch