Construction Begins in Openly Valley – Phase Two Kicks Off

Construction has begun on the second phase in Widnau: 10 apartments designed as an energy-plus building, with construction emissions cut in half. In June, our Industry Days will offer a glimpse into the practical aspects of the system—with a focus on the scalable production of hemp-lime walls.

Start of construction

May marked the start of the second phase of Openly Valley Widnau: a residential complex with 10 apartments is being built in the immediate vicinity of the existing project. Once again, the proven principles of the Openly building system are being applied—this time with an innovation: EcoCement from Holcim EcoPlanet / Vigier Ciment Progresso. As before, the hemp-lime exterior walls from our partner company Cancret are being installed and further optimized, as are in-house developments such as the Openly Airboxes. The project demonstrates once again how industrially prefabricated components and sustainable materials go hand in hand. Openly 2 is planned as an energy-plus house, aiming to achieve a 50% reduction in emissions during construction (“gray energy”) as well as optimizing CO2 sequestration through the selection of building materials (“building as a carbon sink”).

Openly x Cancret Industry Day

Industry Days

In June, Openly and Cancret are jointly hosting Industry Days focused on the scalable production of hemp-lime walls—which visitors can experience firsthand in the region. The program includes guided tours of Europe’s largest hemp house, a visit to Schöb AG (modern timber construction), Sigmund Sieber Mischwerk (eco-concrete), and Ammann Bau (production of Cancret hemp-lime walls). The event demonstrates how the Openly and Cancret ecosystem works in practice. Space is limited — available spots can be requested via email. We look forward to your participation!