Station 4: Les Jetées - Trinational criteria for new builds

Sustainable development of the project area is a major concern for the 3Land partners. For this reason, they jointly drew up a criteria catalog for sustainable development and construction, as well as a certification process based on these criteria. With Les Jetées, a large, forward-looking construction project in Huningue, the ‘nachhaltiges 3Land durable’ certification process is now being applied for the first time.

Les Jetées, an innovative construction in Huningue

The Les Jetées development will be built by 2027 at the head of the Dreiländer bridge (“Dreiländerbrücke”) in Huningue. The new buildings will house 300 flats, a hotel, shops and leisure-activity spaces within an area of approximately 30,000 m2.

Les Jetées will enable Huningue to expand and open up to the Rhine.

A sustainable certificate for constructions in 3Land

Under the 2016 planning agreement, the three cities were required to draw up joint guidelines and standards for the development of the 3Land in order to plan and build in a cross-border and future-oriented manner. For this purpose, trinational certification for sustainable building and development was designed. The certificate can be jointly awarded by the three cities to existing and new sites, residential and commercial buildings, as well as green and open spaces in the 3Land area.

Cyclists on the Rhine embankment with a view of the Basel river port ©Julien Kauffmann

The ‘nachhaltiges 3Land durable’ certificate has five overall goals:

  1. Sealed-off areas are to be opened up and green and open spaces are to be newly created or connected.
  2. Development should incorporate existing features and also enable participatory processes.
  3. All neighborhoods should be accessible to all residents. Mixed housing is encouraged.
  4. Walking, cycling and public transport should be given priority.
  5. The conversion process should be environmentally friendly.

The certification process is a unique instrument. It is applied in all three cities and sets high sustainability standards, the environmental and social aspects of which mostly exceed those of existing standards. The process can be applied flexibly, to areas, open spaces and neighborhoods. It can also be used at different stages of construction or development, from planning to finishing. Furthermore, private and public buildings and developments can be certified. The ‘nachhaltiges 3Land durable’ certificate admirably embodies the spirit of the 3Land project: to think and work across borders.

Les Jetées is the first major construction project to have applied the certification criteria.