Hello again Friends and Supporters of Digital Glarus! At the end of the wonderful tour at the Legler Areal in Diesbach, we had a chance to interview Alex Römer from HIAG.
What is your name?
Alex.
Where do you come from? What was your hometown like?
In the suburbs of Zurich, Küsnacht. It’s a small village right next to the lake. I remember how much I loved the lake.
And, what do you do?
I work for HIAG as a real estate developer. HIAG is a real estate investment and site development company. We buy industrial sites and transform them into something new for working and living. Essentially we buy something we like, and then we try to come up with new concepts.
What is your impression of canton Glarus?
Ever since we bought this site(Legler Areal) I’m regularly here and I love the scenery. It’s an amazing valley and so close to Zurich. I think of it as an untouched paradise with proximity.
Sites like this have an enormous charm! It’s like breathing the history. That’s what makes it interesting for us, we’d like to continue the story of the site.
How did you learn about the project Digital Glarus?
I think I first learned about it probably from twitter or facebook, because Digital Glarus is very present in social media. Then I read on Nico's presentation of cowokring space in the newspaper. That's how I learnt more about the project.
What do you think about the project Digital Glarus?
I think Digital Glarus is a great initiative. We need new ways of thinking especially for the regions like Glarus. The digital world is a fantastic match for bringing this region forward. I think it is a huge opportunity to the valley itself and everybody living and working in the valley.
Where do you see the potential of canton Glarus in the digital era?
Here the combination of the proximity to the big city, and the reasonable price, makes it very attractive. You are surrounded by the great mountains and still have easy access to the city.
When was the Legler Areal built? Was it 1910 like it is written on the top of the building?
That part with the year signage is already an extension. The original building was built 40 years before that. So, 1856.
Can you tell us a bit about the history of this area?
The textile industry was very important for the whole Switzerland in the past, and the hydropower was the big advantage of the Glarnerland. You know the river, spinning wheels, weaving mills, and all that. It was a very important industry. The Leglers were a big entrepreneur family and they expanded to Italy, and built the second weaving mill in Italy even bigger than this site. At the end of the 20th century the business became much more difficult for Switzerland and slowly died, leaving these amazing buildings behind.
The Legler's have been here long time ago - what is left of their entrepreneurship?
This is a little bit difficult to answer. I have the impression that it’s rather people from the outside, like you guys, are keeping the entrepreneurship alive by believing in this region. You came to Glarus and saw through the potential of it, and you have been trying to push things forward for the canton.
What are your plans for this area?
When we buy a property we first need to get to know it. We usually test different ideas to see which fits and works the best.
I can give you an example: we were testing for a boarding school in this site, because it is already a campus here with buildings of different sizes. We had architects make plans for us and talked to international boarding school chains. You know in the French-speaking part of Switzerland there are big international chains of boarding schools, so if they want to expand to German speaking part, it’ll be interesting for us. This is just one of the many ideas we have for this place.
Another idea we have is more towards digital era. It could be coliving or coworking on site, it just needs to be tested more.
The difficult thing about this site is that when we accept any new tenants we would have to invest on the site quite a lot. As you've seen it is very spacious and it requires a lot of work to change things. For that reason, we need to have a pretty high conviction before making decisions that the concept would work out and the change would be worth it. Especailly since it’s not in Zurich, marketing something here can be, let's say, challenging.
How does Legler Areal compare to buildings in Zurich city?
I’d say buildings like this hardly exist anymore. HIAG owns 3 spinneries in Aargau, Zurich Oberland, and here in the canton of Glarus. All of them have impressive settings next to a river. Some buildings are protected by the government for historical reasons. On one hand it’s complicated when you try to do something new with it, but on the other hand, it’s the charm that makes it more interesting.
You can feel it when you are here under its high ceilings. The charm of industrial era and the 19th century surrounded by the mountains outside the window, I must say it’s special.
How do you get electricity in here?
The amazing part of this site is that it generates electricity on its own with hydropower. Our powerplant provides for 1,000 households per year, 5.3gigawatt/h. It doesn't get more local and ecological than this.
How do you position yourself, or see yourself, compared to new houses and buildings in Glarus?
The charm of the building, the great respect of existing material, we take such things as a high value in our company. Being on a campus of amazing buildings everyday is a totally different experience from everything else. People become 10 times more productive in what they do.
If a company is looking for the cheapest office space available, obviously this is not for them. Cheaper options can be probably found in the industrial area of a city. We look for companies who are into sites with special character like Legler Areal, companies that value being on such a site.
Thank you for a great interview!
My pleasure!
It was a deeply inspiring experience for team Digital Glarus to explore every corners of historical Legler Areal! Our talk continued long after the official interview ended. After exchanging much ideas and possibilities of what can be done in Legler Areal, we know one thing for sure now : We have a LOT of work to do now. But well, that's just like any day in Digital Glarus. :)
If you were as intrigued as us about Legler Areal, here's their website. You can also follow them on twitter! We'll come back with another great stories to share soon. So until next time, stay inspired!
