The city of Sion in Switzerland has launched the Ronquoz 21 neighbourhood project, which aims to propose innovative energy solutions for the future. As the first model site, Ronquoz 21 will provide a global vision of the energy issues facing cities and neighbourhoods in the years to come. The district will constitute a unique energy database that will allow all partners (SMEs, start-ups, academics) to define new solutions based on the values of a real and living district. In collaboration with EnovArk, SMEs and start-ups will be able to test and implement their innovations on the ground.

This neighbourhood is intended to be an example of a sustainable, green, mixed-use neighbourhood that is open to all. The architects have planned various parks, orchards and watering holes to create several small neighbourhoods linked by a tree-lined path. There will be many green spaces, putting the landscape back at the centre of the urbanisation. The master plan defines the main principles of the gradual transformation of the district for buildings, public spaces, landscape and mobility.

The redevelopment of the district is expected to take about 30 years. At present, 63 of the 187 plots in the area are in public hands. The first public space is planned for 2024. Eventually, the district will have between 2,500 and 3,000 homes.

In short, Ronquoz 21 is an ambitious project that will make it possible to propose innovative energy solutions for the future while creating a sustainable neighbourhood open to all. It is an open-air laboratory that will serve as a model for the cities and districts of the future. All of this with a convergence of networks (thermal – electricity – gas – water), which will provide a global vision of the energy problems of cities and neighbourhoods in the coming years.

In the long term, the Ronquoz21 district, supplemented by monitoring of its infrastructures, will constitute a unique energy database that will enable all the partners (SMEs, start-ups, academics) to define new solutions based on the values of a real and living district. SMEs such as ZERO-C or Studer Innotec or start-ups such as Smartsuna, WattAnywhere, SOLIDPower or Urbio will thus be able to test and implement their innovations in real life. They will be able to validate their technical and economic viability.