BFF AG and la Mobilière join forces to turn bluefactory into a sponge district

Due to global warming, the urban environment is having to reinvent itself. The sponge city concept is an innovation model that helps mitigate the effects of surface water runoff, cause of two-thirds of flood damage. Water and its treatment are at the heart of the bluefactory reclamation project. La Mobilière Cooperative is committing 400,000 francs to reinforcing the innovation district’s water management transition.

A project with ecological, social and educational components

The programme’s first achievements include the re-commissioned 1,112 m³ underground reservoir (which doubles as a storm water tank), the creation of a pond to serve as a buffer zone, the construction of a 200 m³ retention basin, increased vegetation, green roof development, and newly installed street furniture made from reused materials. Further developments will complete this dynamic, with a close and constant focus on quality of life, biodiversity and the regeneration of ecosystems. The social aspect is important: the pond is designed as a meeting place, open to the public and enlivening the area.

Located in the heart of Fribourg, bluefactory is a district whose industrial DNA ensures that innovation is lived and practised daily in all its dimensions, whether scientific, industrial, social or cultural. Now embracing the principles of the sponge city, the site continues its transformation. Integrating sustainable, circular and local water management will strengthen urban resilience in the face of extreme climatic phenomena. The objective is to allow the district to behave like a sponge, collecting, storing and treating water in situ. This innovative system reduces the risk of flooding, optimises the use of a precious resource and promotes islands of coolness, while creating public spaces. The inauguration of the central square around the pond is scheduled for the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2025.

A commitment to climate resilience

“This project has won over la Mobilière, which is actively committed to climate resilience by supporting sponge city projects designed to prevent natural hazards. Through its cooperative, it has invested around CHF 46 million in about 180 projects around Switzerland since 2006,” notes Julien Descloux, general agent of la Mobilière Fribourg Region. According to the insurer, surface runoff causes two-thirds of flood damage (see study). This phenomenon occurs when, especially in the event of heavy rainfall, the ground is unable to absorb water, which can then become a danger to property, and even life. Sponge city projects offer innovative urban solutions that go far beyond simple risk prevention to enhance quality of life in its forms – not simply for humans.

This partnership reinforces BFF SA’s approach, which aims to experiment with and deploy an integrated approach to water in the development of the Fribourg innovation district. The collaboration is in addition to those already initiated with the companies SINEF SA and Groupe E to explore capitalisation of energy sources, with the aim of pooling needs and centralising production.

About BFF SA

Founded in 2014, Bluefactory Fribourg-Freiburg SA (BFF SA) aims to develop, build, operate, promote and animate the bluefactory low-carbon innovation district. The site is now home to 700 people working in over seventy entities (SMEs, start-ups, university research institutes and innovation actors). It actively promotes the principles of sustainable development as well as those of the circular economy.

The la Mobilière Group

In Switzerland, one in three households and one in three companies are insured with la Mobilière. As of 31 December 2024, the all-class insurer’s income from premiums amounted to almost CHF 4.9 billion. No fewer than 80 corporate general agencies with their own claims department offer local services to more than 2.3 million customers at around 160 locations. La Mobilière employs around 6600 people in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein and offers 350 apprenticeships. Founded in 1826 as a cooperative, la Mobilière is the oldest private insurance company in Switzerland.