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PRESS RELEASE
The building shells on the Hunziker Areal site have been
completed – mehr als wohnen and Steiner celebrate
together
Zurich, 30 June 2014
Today, there was a celebration on the Hunziker Areal construction site to mark the
completion of the building shells for the 13 buildings in this new district. The
cooperative building society mehr als wohnen and Steiner AG as the general
contractor for this outstanding project celebrated the completion of this important
stage together.
On the Hunziker Areal site in Zurich Leutschenbach, a new vital, socially mixed area of the
district is being created with 13 buildings and around 400 residential units, a broad mix of
commercial and community spaces as well as diverse green and undeveloped areas.
Around 1,100 people of all generations will actively live and work here together beginning
in the autumn of 2014.
"We are highly satisfied with the implementation of our project. All the parties involved in
the project – from the architects and Steiner AG as the general contractor to the various
partner companies – are committed to their work on the project in order to implement this
challenging project in line with deadlines," says Peter Schmid, chairman of the mehr als
wohnen cooperative building society.
Residents will move into the individual buildings in stages. The first building will be handed
over as early as 20 October 2014. The new district will gradually be filled with life at
intervals of two residential buildings per month, spread over half a year. "The next six
months will be a challenge, and we look forward to bringing this innovative project to a
successful conclusion together with mehr als wohnen', says Urs Kühni, overall project
manager of Steiner AG for the Hunziker Areal site.
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The official inauguration of the new district will be marked with a large celebration on 4 July
2015, on International Cooperatives Day.
mehr als wohnen
In 2007, the city of Zurich and the housing cooperatives celebrated 100 years of
collaborative partnership and the promotion of not-for-profit housing construction. The
motto of the anniversary year was "100 Jahre mehr als wohnen". Among other things, an
international ideas competition was held for the development of a traditional city district and
for pioneering new construction on an industrial site, which was still a notional one at the
time. At the end of 2007, the anniversary year and the insights from the competition led to
the establishment of the cooperative building society mehr als wohnen by around 30
housing cooperatives. As a platform for innovation and learning, it was to implement a
major, pioneering housing project that develops the cooperative idea further for the future,
taking all its aspects into account. The Hunziker Areal site is now the first project that is
being implemented by mehr als wohnen according to these principles.
Steiner AG
Steiner AG is one of the leading project developers as well as general and total contractors
(GC/TC) in Switzerland, offering comprehensive services in the fields of new construction,
refurbishment and real estate development. The company, which was established in 1915,
has constructed more than 1,200 residential construction projects, 540 commercial
properties, 45 hotels and 150 infrastructure facilities such as universities, schools,
hospitals, prisons and retirement homes. Steiner AG has its headquarters in Zurich and is
represented by branches in Basel, Berne, Geneva, Tolochenaz, Lucerne and St. Gallen.
Information for the media
Monika Sprecher
Managing director of the cooperative building society mehr als wohnen
Phone: +41 44 325 40 40, [email protected]
Barbara Fry
Head Corporate Communications, Steiner AG
Phone: +41 58 445 21 41, [email protected]
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