Thun: Path as good as clear for new Empa building
A financing solution for a Halter AG project only requires the approval of Thun City Council, and the building permit has already been granted.
The financing solution for a new building on construction site B5 of the Thun Nord site is in place. The plan is for the city to contribute CHF 16 million as a secured, repayable loan and to assume the guarantee for a loan from the Canton of Bern. However, the city council must decide on the proposal on April 30. In the meantime, the necessary building permit for the first stage on construction site B5 has also been granted.
The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) has been operating a research site in Thun since 1994. The investment costs for the new building amount to CHF 47 million. «Empa secures highly qualified jobs in research and development in the long term, generates regional added value and strengthens Thun as a location for technology and innovation within the Canton of Bern,» says Mayor Raphael Lanz, explaining the planned grant. The funding is being provided by four parties. The Canton of Berne has issued a letter of intent for a loan of CHF 10 million. Empa itself is investing CHF 16 million in laboratories and the technical center. In addition, Halter AG, which is the development partner for the construction site, is contributing CHF 5 million. Financing will be provided by a newly established site development company. The aim is to transfer the site development company's involvement to an investor once the project has been completed in all stages.
Objections delayed the project
Halter AG submitted the planning application for the new research site in 2024. Objections delayed the process by around a year. They have now been resolved, which is why the building permit has been granted. Construction will begin in spring 2027 and completion is planned for the end of 2029.
In the long term, a new district will be created on the site of the Thun North ESP. In addition to the first concrete project on construction site B5, the planned «Thun Nord» S-Bahn stop plays a central role. The total potential of the Thun North ESP is estimated at around 6,500 jobs. The areas that become available will be developed in stages and gradually transformed from military and army-related to civilian use.
