Since the Walzwerk site was acquired by the real estate company SF Urban Properties Ltd (SFUP) in 2017, SFUP has been pursuing its vision to expand the site by developing the former industrial quarter. At the same time, new tenants from a variety of fields are to complement the existing businesses. This article provides a brief overview of the past, current and planned future development work at the site, and also reveals what activities are raising the Walzwerk site’s profile outside Münchenstein and Arlesheim.
Focus on a diverse range of tenants
After completing a feasibility study, SFUP has been talking directly to the existing tenants since 2020 in order to identify their wide-ranging needs with respect to the rental spaces. The company’s partnership with local businesses lays the foundation for reconciling tenants’ various issues with the implementation of new builds and renovations in keeping with zoning requirements and the opportunities presented by a neighbourhood development plan process. In order to take these different needs into account, thought needs to be given to infrastructure, logistics and urban planning at an early stage. The focus was recently on an initial construction measure on the site’s south-eastern perimeter (Fig. 1), for example. The undeveloped car parking spaces in the south of the site will be used for new ground-floor commercial spaces due to their proximity to the road, with flexible offices overlooking the municipal garden being created in the upper floors. The future rental spaces are already reserved for existing Walzwerk tenants who are looking to expand their companies or relocate as a long-term solution. This selected relocation of tenants allows the spaces they vacate to be successively renovated and converted. As part of the overall planning for 2023, a project is being implemented to replace the most north-eastern building with a new build (Fig. 2) due to its high operating, maintenance and repair costs and inefficient division of space. The remaining spaces are to be used by existing businesses and also additional, external potential tenants in the fields of research, development or technology to enhance the innovative spirit of the Walzwerk site and its existing tenants. The fact that innovation is already writ large at the site is reflected by the fact that certain companies complement traditional ways of working with modern processing methods, such as processing a variety of materials using milling and laser technologies and combining them with tried-and-tested, traditional methods such as casting and polishing. The Walzwerk site currently offers space for about 100 tenants in a wide range of industries.
Extensive cultural and culinary facilities
Hospitality and culture also play an important part in raising the Walzwerk site’s profile as a lively, diverse, innovative and creative place. Some tenants, for example, asked SFUP whether the site’s lunch facilities for companies, their employees and their guests could be expanded. The oldest hospitality operation on the site is the Social Psychiatry Association’s canteen, which has been there for years. International cuisine has been added to the culinary offering since 2021. “Pitza” and “Take Thai” enjoy a good reputation that extends far beyond the boundaries of the site and regularly draws visitors to the Walzwerk site, including in the evenings.
SFUP also placed a great deal of value on making sure that the well-known “fahrbar” depot can continue to be used as an event venue as soon as possible. As part of this, a new ten-year rental contract was concluded with a Münchensteiner restaurateur. Following its conversion, the imposing, spacious event hall is now constantly booked out for months in advance. World-famous DJs have already given concerts in the “Walzhalle”, bringing young and old to the Walzwerk site from Basel and its environs. A neighbouring tenant that owns a consultancy firm has now invested in the “Walzhalle” brand and is supporting the revival of the appealing location with its know-how.
The removal of the “fahrbar” rail wagon, which was in need of renovation, also created a sunny, open area for the benefit of the resident businesses. The wooden decking and the local, biodiverse foliage were put in place by the tenants themselves. By organising and paying some of the costs of transportation, SFUP saw to it that the rail wagon, which is much-loved throughout the Birstal region, was given a second life at the Birtel brewery on the Dreispitz site.
New cultural society
The new “Walzwerk Residence Society” is also bringing a breath of fresh air to the site. The society offers free accommodation to young artists working with the resident businesses, employees, independent artists and craftspeople in order to give them the opportunity to express their creativity. The artists come from all over the world and conclude their stay at the site with a public exhibition. The house where the artists stay is an SFUP property, situated 100 metres away from the site, and was thoroughly renovated in partnership with some of the site’s tenants.