Buchs is driving forward efforts aimed at strengthening its reputation in research, education and business. These plans were presented at an information event, which was covered by an article published on “Ostschweiz”, which quoted Mayor Daniel Gut as saying: “In future, more young people should study here, conduct research here and stay in the region afterwards”.
The OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences is playing a major role in this. The university’s Department of Technology is to be based in Buchs from September 1, 2020 onwards. “This makes up around two thirds of the entire OST and is therefore the largest and broadest service within the OST”, says Lothar Ritter, Rector of the Interstate University of Technology Buchs (NTB) and future head of the Department of Technology at the OST.
A change is also in the offing at the Vocational and Further Education Center Buchs (bzb), which will be merging with the Vocational and Further Education Center Sarganserland. The Buchs location will, however, be retained and is set to be combined with the NTB location by way of a Campus Motel from 2022. The “Ostschweiz” article claims: “A motel with a public restaurant for between 70 and 90 diners, four flats with space for four students each, ten studios for outside specialists, ten apartments for the Alpenrheintal Center for Precision Industry and ten apartments for lecturers is to be constructed”. At the moment, a design competition is being held for the project. “The motel at the Buchs Campus is to be financed by the NTB scholarship foundation and aims to strengthen Buchs as a location for education”, explains Richard Brander, President of the Building Commission for the Campus Motel NTB.
The construction project will also have an impact on the environment and transport. “The new traffic management system will divert traffic away from Brunnenstrasse and Sternstrasse. Employees, visitors and HGVs heading to the NTB will no longer drive through the neighborhood in the future”, says Daniel Gut. The local economy will also play a prominent role in the design plans. Businesses stand to benefit from the plans, as they as also involved in drawing these up. “In the future, everything will be offered here in the smallest of spaces, from the Schatzkiste day-care center and kindergarten to the international school, vocational training and university degrees”, comments Josef Brusa from Brusa Elektronik AG, in explaining the benefits of the Buchs location.
