What Viscosistadt does

Viscosistadt AG is a privately held Swiss corporation (founded 1906 as Société de la Viscose Suisse, restructured as Viscosistadt AG) that develops and operates a 90,000 m² mixed-use industrial campus in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland, along the Kleine Emme river. The company redeveloped the former Viscosuisse textile manufacturing site into a multi-tenant quarter combining industry (50% of tenant base), education and culture (22%), services, and creative businesses, hosting over 100 companies and freelancers across 15+ industries. Its core offerings include flexible commercial rental spaces (30-1,500 m²) in heritage industrial buildings, the Spinnerei event venue (2,200+ m² across five halls), underground parking (330 spaces with EV charging), a canteen (Nylon 7), and the Wärmeverbund Seetalplatz district heating and cooling system that uses groundwater and industrial waste heat to supply sustainable energy, reducing fossil fuel consumption by 93% and CO2 emissions by 5,800 tonnes annually.

The company's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via its viscosistadt.ch website, network events through the 'Netzwerk Viscosistadt' community of 100+ tenants, and cultural programming such as DesignSchenken, Werkschau, and Kulturnacht. Revenue is generated through recurring commercial rent (the primary stream), event venue packages at Spinnerei (starting from CHF 35/person), and parking subscriptions (CHF 180-240/month). Major tenants include Hochschule Luzern - Design & Kunst (900 students, 10,000+ m²), Fachklasse Grafik (108 students, 2,700 m²), Monosuisse AG, Leuchter IT Solutions AG, and the nonprofit IG Arbeit (Nylon 7 canteen). The company executes a 30-year development plan without external investors, currently building out Sector B (37,000 m² floor space across seven floors, adding 20,000 m² of new rental space targeting up to 1,500 workplaces) under the leadership of Geschäftsführer Alain Homberger.

The site operates as part of the Luzern Nord regional development initiative with cooperation agreements from the municipality of Emmen and Kanton Luzern, providing long-term regulatory alignment. Viscosistadt AG has no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent company affiliations, and pursues self-funded organic expansion characterized by 'small steps' rather than rapid scaling. The investment profile is closer to a long-duration Swiss real estate and community-development platform than a venture-backed growth company.

Name

Viscosistadt

Legal name

Viscosistadt AG

Website

https://www.viscosistadt.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Viscosistadt AG operates a 90,000 m² mixed-use industrial campus in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland, renting flexible commercial spaces (30-1,500 m²) to over 100 companies across 15+ industries, plus operating the Spinnerei event venue, parking, and a sustainable district heating system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Emmenbrücke

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commercial Real Estate Rental: Primary revenue stream from renting flexible commercial spaces (30-1500 m2) across the 90,000 m2 industrial campus to over 100 companies from 15+ industries including manufacturing, creative businesses, education, and cultural organizations.
2. Event Location Services: The Spinnerei event venue generates revenue from hosting conferences, bankets, concerts, seminars, and other events. Packages include catering, technology, decoration, and event management services for 150-300+ attendees.
3. Parking Services: Revenue from parking facilities including Parkhaus Laborgasse (120 spaces) and Parkplatz Sektor E (210 spaces). Services include hourly parking, monthly rentals, and electric vehicle charging stations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Viscosistadt AG redevelops and operates a 90,000 m² mixed-use industrial campus in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland, renting flexible commercial spaces (30–1,500 m²) to industrial, educational, cultural, and creative tenants, and operating an event venue, canteen, parking facility, and sustainable district energy system as ancillary on-site services.

Product overview

Viscosistadt is a mixed-use industrial campus development in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland, that offers rental spaces for industry, trade, creative businesses, and education, along with event venues (Spinnerei), dining (Nylon 7), parking (Parkhaus Laborgasse), and sustainable energy services (Wärmeverbund Seetalplatz). The campus hosts over 100 companies from 15+ industries and includes networking services (Netzwerk Viscosistadt).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Netzwerk Viscosistadt: Network of over 100 companies and freelancers from more than 15 industries operating on the Viscosistadt site, with regular networking events.
• Nylon 7
• Wärmeverbund Seetalplatz

Products and services

• Mietflächen (Rental Spaces) Flexible rental spaces of 30–1,500 m² in converted industrial buildings for industry, trade, creative businesses, education, and events, located within the 90,000 m² Viscosistadt campus in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland. Tenants benefit from sustainable district heating/cooling, a 16,000 m² park, on-site parking, and networking via the Netzwerk Viscosistadt community.
• Spinnerei Eventlocation Event venue in a former 1960s spinning factory offering over 2,200 m² of industrial-charm space across five halls (three large convertible halls plus supporting rooms), equipped with modern event technology and offering packages for conferences, banquets, concerts, seminars, and celebrations of 150–300+ attendees, including catering, decoration, and event management.
• Nylon 7 (Kantine) On-site canteen operated by IG Arbeit providing coffee, fresh pastries, sandwiches, and three daily lunch menus including vegetarian/vegan options, with salad buffet and homemade sweets/snacks. Available for evening and weekend event rentals.
• Parkhaus Laborgasse Parking Underground parking garage with 120 spaces on two levels (8 EV charging stations) offering monthly rentals (CHF 180 internal / CHF 240 external tenants) and hourly public parking (CHF 1.50/hour from the second hour onwards; first 30 minutes free), with payment by card or TWINT.
• Wärmeverbund Seetalplatz (District Heating and Cooling) Sustainable district energy system supplying heating and cooling to buildings on the Viscosistadt campus and surrounding areas, drawing energy from groundwater and industrial waste heat from Monosuisse AG operations and distributing it via heat exchangers and insulated networks. Solar power on rooftops operates the pumps. Reduces fossil fuel consumption by 93% and CO2 emissions by 5,800 tonnes annually.
• Netzwerk Viscosistadt (Tenant Network and Events) Tenant community of over 100 companies and freelancers from 15+ industries on the Viscosistadt campus, holding at least one annual networking event for members to foster business connections and community building.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% reduction in fossil fuel consumption
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kanton Luzern (Fachklasse Grafik)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020The Canton of Lucerne rents 2,700 m2 for the Fachklasse Grafik vocational school. Planning and construction costs were CHF 2.89 million. The school relocated after 144 years from Rössligasse to Viscosistadt.
• Wärmeverbund Seetalplatz AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2018Wärmeverbund Seetalplatz AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Monosuisse AG that provides sustainable heating and cooling to the Viscosistadt campus and surrounding areas. The system uses groundwater and industrial waste heat to supply energy, reducing fossil fuel consumption by 93% and CO2 emissions by 5,800 tonnes annually.
• Gemeinde EmmencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2018The municipality of Emmen signed a cooperation agreement for the Wärmeverbund Seetalplatz district energy project. Part of the Luzern Nord regional development initiative.
• Hochschule Luzern – Design & KunstcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2016The university campus is the largest tenant, with 900 students and 110 staff occupying 10,000+ m2 in two buildings. Investment was CHF 24 million for the first building and CHF ~10 million for the second building. The partnership creates a creative ecosystem on the industrial campus.
• Monosuisse AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuccessor to the original Viscosuisse company, Monosuisse AG continues chemical fiber production on one building complex and is parent of Wärmeverbund Seetalplatz AG. The company provides industrial waste heat to the district energy system.
• DesignSchenkenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual design market event held at the Spinnerei venue, showcasing Swiss design and craft products from ~80 exhibitors. The event has run since 2018 (10th edition in 2018, 16th edition in 2026).
• Stiftung akkuminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAkku Kunstplattform foundation operates the cultural exhibition space within Viscosistadt, hosting regular art exhibitions and cultural events. Managed by Isolde and Karl Bühlmann.
• IG Arbeit (Nylon 7)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial enterprise operating the Nylon 7 canteen Monday-Friday, offering coffee, pastries, lunch menus, and event venue rental. Also manages the Igarbeit sheltered workshop spaces.
• Netzwerk Viscosistadt MembersminorGTM or Marketing Partner100+ companies and freelancers from 15+ industries forming the tenant network. Regular networking events held annually for members including companies like Anliker, Swissflock, Schindler, Anliker, and various creative professionals.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NDSM-werf: Amsterdam's NDSM-werf is a former shipyard redeveloped into a mixed-use creative campus hosting hundreds of artists, makers, and event venues. It is the closest international analogue to Viscosistadt's industrial-heritage-to-creative-mixed-use model, including an active event-location business.
• Zollverein (Stiftung Zollverein): UNESCO World Heritage former coal mine in Essen redeveloped into a mixed-use site with museums, design schools, creative tenants, and event venues. Highly comparable in the heritage-industrial-to-creative-mix transformation play, although larger in cultural-programming emphasis.
• Tabakfabrik Linz: Austrian former tobacco factory converted into a mixed-use campus with creative, tech, education, and event tenants on a similar self-funded long-term redevelopment arc. Comparable in multi-decade redevelopment of a single industrial site into a tenant ecosystem.
• Westergasfabriek: Former Amsterdam gas factory redeveloped into a cultural venue and creative cluster with restaurants, event halls, and design tenants. Highly comparable to Viscosistadt's Spinnerei venue + creative tenant strategy on a single industrial site.

Broad incumbents

• Swiss Prime Site: Switzerland's largest listed commercial real estate company, operating office, retail, and mixed-use properties across Switzerland. Comparable as a Swiss commercial real estate operator, but diversified nationally rather than concentrated on a single campus.
• Mobimo Holding: Swiss commercial real estate developer and investor with a portfolio of office, residential, and mixed-use assets. Comparable as a Swiss commercial real estate peer, but operating a national portfolio rather than a single heritage campus.
• SBB Immobilien: Real estate arm of Swiss Federal Railways developing and managing large mixed-use sites around Swiss rail hubs. Comparable as a developer-operator of large, multi-tenant Swiss real-estate assets, though transportation-adjacent rather than industrial-heritage in character.

Peers

• Allreal Holding: Swiss real estate company combining development with a real-estate portfolio focused on residential and commercial properties in German-speaking Switzerland. Comparable as a Swiss commercial real estate operator, though broader in scope than a single campus.

Others

• Wincasa: Switzerland's largest real estate services firm, providing property management, brokerage, and consulting. Adjacent comparison: Viscosistadt's in-house management of the campus is functionally similar to the property management role Wincasa plays for institutional owners.

Regional players

• Lokremise St.Gallen: Swiss heritage depot building converted into a cultural and event venue with restaurants and creative tenants. Closely comparable in scale and Swiss-regional industrial-to-event-venue redevelopment, though smaller in scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EventlocationViscosistadt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eventlocation-viscosistadt
• Instagraminstagram.com/spinnerei_emmenbruecke

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Viscosistadt