Enabler & Example
backWhere a vision comes to life
Published: 08. May 2023
The history of the site in the heart of Biberist began in 1862, when the Biberist paper mill started production and shaped the community for the next 150 years. In 2011, however, operations had to be discontinued. HIAG acquired the factory site in the summer of 2012 and thus opened a new chapter in the development of the area. Site manager Markus Künzle gives an insight into his place of work.
When HIAG took over the 280,000-square-metre Papieri site in Biberist in 2012, it did not just take over the old buildings of the disused paper mill. A staggering 2 million cubic metres of enclosed space, various machines for the production of paper and a hydroelectric power plant were also part of the new addition to the site developer's portfolio. HIAG was thus faced with a challenge of a special kind. Familiarising oneself with the conditions of such a large site is a mammoth task if one has no one who already knows the site. But luckily there was Markus Künzle.
The mechanical engineer had been the maintenance manager at the Biberist paper mill since 2005. His job was to ensure maximum plant availability. At that time, he was responsible for 65 employees and a budget of around 21 million Swiss francs. In 2009, the company, which had already merged with the Utzenstorf paper mill in 1995 due to insufficient earnings, was taken over by the South African paper group Sappi. But even this did not bring the longed-for turn for the better. In 2011, operations had to be shut down for good, and 550 employees lost their jobs - including Markus Künzle. Only one member of the former management and two technical staff were still on site. Künzle made the best of his situation: "I had received a nice severance package after leaving Sappi and first took a long holiday with my wife during some time off." But the break didn't last long: "After half a year's absence, I was invited by the new owner HIAG for a talk. I was told that technical know-how was still needed in many places regarding the conditions of the site." Markus Künzle was the key to solving this challenge, because only he knew the entire site like the back of his hand. On 1 October 2012 he returned to his old place of work and has been site manager at Papieri Biberist ever since.
From an industrial site to a neighbourhood for all
For 150 years, the Papieri site was a purely industrial area. Over the coming years and decades, HIAG would like to develop it into a quarter that offers space for work, art, culture, living and leisure in addition to commercial and industrial use. Much has already happened since HIAG acquired the site. In a way, the experienced site developer has broken new ground here, Markus Künzle explains. "HIAG had always taken over clean-swept factories before. It was different with the Papieri site, because the property was taken over along with all the buildings and all the machines and equipment in them. During three years it was examined whether paper production could restart, at least in parts." After intensive negotiations with potential producers, however, it was concluded that further use in the old form was out of the question.
«HIAG had always taken over clean factories before. It was different with the Papieri site, because the property was taken over along with all the buildings and all the machines and equipment in them.» Markus Künzle, Site Manager Papieri-Areal
The starting signal for a new future
A very intensive phase began for the site manager. "We had to find buyers for the machines, because they were all still functional. However, Markus Künzle knows that the focus was not only on achieving the highest possible proceeds. "It was also essential that the machines be dismantled professionally and quickly by the buyers." In the meantime, the three up to 300-metre-long paper machines have been sold and dismantled. One last machine is still in the hall. The buyers are from Bangladesh and are still organising the dismantling and transport to the destination. "This is a supercalender, a machine that smoothes paper," Künzle explains. And becomes almost a little nostalgic in the process. "The factory used to have a production capacity of 420,000 tonnes for graphic papers." His gaze wanders through the huge hall in which the metre-high machine almost disappears. What will happen to these halls now? "They will be deconstructed, because they were built especially for the paper machines and cannot be converted. One of these halls is 359 metres long and over 20 metres high. As a result, they can hardly be heated and an energetic refurbishment would swallow up vast sums."
Except for a few buildings of historical value that are protected, most of the buildings will be demolished to make room for new ones. The objects worthy of protection or the buildings predestined for conversion are included in the site planning. Currently, the deconstruction of an approximately 20,000 square metre construction site is taking place; after a common pollutant clean-up, the actual deconstruction could begin in spring 2022. But in all that time, the site has not lain fallow, but has been used in a variety of ways. Ensuring this is the result of a wide variety of considerations, Markus Künzle explains: "The site developers and asset managers involved and I as site manager form a team that has to bring together all the factors for the site to function as well as possible. Operations have to be maintained even though demolition is going on elsewhere at the same time." It is a good sign that some tenants have hardly noticed this deconstruction.
"We have started the deconstruction from the back, that is, from the inside of the buildings. This way, business on the circulation areas was not hindered."
High use already during development
Although the Papieri site is in the middle of development, many parts of it are already being used. Covered areas, for example, are rented out as storage space for various businesses, but also as parking spaces for the mobile homes that boomed during the Corona period. In addition to these interim uses, which only ever last until the corresponding part of the site is developed further, there are also long-term tenants. One of them is the logistics company Sieber. The company employs around 100 people in Biberist. "Sieber Transport AG is an anchor tenant," says Markus Künzle. "In 2016, HIAG converted the existing high-bay warehouse for the company with a storage capacity of over 20,000 pallets and 7,500 square metres of logistics space." The building remains in HIAG's possession, but Sieber AG has a longer-term lease. For the further use of the site, attention must be paid to a good mix of industries and economic sectors, says the site manager. "The problem is that many companies want to rent storage space here, but we want something to be produced here and create an attractive, innovative workplace area.
Promoting sustainable technologies ...
A step in the right direction is the construction site that can currently be seen on the banks of the Emme. Where there used to be a sewage treatment plant, a 3,000 square metre workshop is currently being built. From 2024, Librec AG will recycle traction batteries from passenger transport, but also from trucks and ships. The young company has developed a recycling method that preserves over 95 per cent of the raw materials processed in the batteries, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. This saves a massive amount of CO2 in battery production, and no hazardous waste is produced. This is a technology with a promising future, because until now used batteries were melted down or incinerated, with a very low recovery rate and at a high energy cost. The company fits in with the innovative character of the site and also with HIAG's efforts in the area of sustainability. Markus Künzle on the progress of construction: "The building permit has been issued, the last deconstruction work is still being done. Then everything will go quickly, and the hall should be ready for occupancy towards the end of 2023."
... and maintain existing ones
Markus Künzle is at home on the Papieri site. And there is one place where this is more evident than anywhere else. On the way there, a humming drone gets louder and louder. "Can you hear my sweetheart?" says the site manager with a broad grin. We are at the hydroelectric power station, which is part of the site. Künzle, a mechanical engineer, is in his element. Here, too, he knows every detail. "In 1984, an Escher Wyss turbine was installed here, but it suffered a broken gear in 2014 due to an installation error. There was then a major overhaul and since then it has been running trouble-free." This is probably thanks to the conscientious maintenance that Markus Künzle has taken on. But the plant is much more than just a hobby. "With our hydroelectric power plant, we generate an average of 60 per cent of the electricity that is currently consumed on the site." The turbine thus makes a valuable contribution to an environmentally friendly energy supply. So the prospects for the Papieri site are good.
3 Questions for Michele Muccioli, Head of Development and Realisation
What factors were decisive in developing a new perspective for the site in Biberist?
On the one hand, the Papieri site is incredibly large, with around 280,000 square metres of zoned and ready-to-build land. On the other hand, the site is equipped with a high-performance infrastructure that can hardly be found anywhere else in Switzerland: Electricity, fresh water from its own sources, steam, gas and a railway siding. Last but not least, the central location in the middle of Switzerland offers excellent logistical conditions for trade and industry.
What does the "Vision 2033" for the Papieri site in Biberist include?
We want to continue the history of industry and employment in Biberist. A large part of the site is to be maintained as a workplace area for manufacturing and innovative businesses. However, at specific locations, and in a very targeted manner, uses for retail, gastronomy, leisure and housing are also to be created. Finally, the area should be liveable and accessible around the clock.
A new hall for the battery recycling company Librec will be built on the site by the end of 2023. How important is it to HIAG to promote such companies?
Innovative and promising companies are preaching to the choir at HIAG! We believe in Switzerland as a place to work. This means that we not only consider established companies when settling, but also give creative start-ups like Librec a chance. The decisive factor here is the solidity and resilience of the business idea. Moreover, such companies may not bring new brilliance immediately, but in the near future, and enrich the location with inventiveness and entrepreneurial spirit.
