Christian Wasserfallen (44) from Bern is a qualified mechanical engineer FH, President of Infra Suisse, the industry association of Swiss infrastructure and civil engineering companies, member of the central board of the SBV, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Walo Bertschinger AG Bern and FDP National Councillor. With his extensive experience at the intersection of business, politics, and infrastructure, he brings the best prerequisites to represent the interests of the construction industry at the national level.
With clear goals at the top of the SBV:
In his new role, Christian Wasserfallen aims to advocate for reliable framework conditions that enable the construction industry to make its central contribution to the development and competitiveness of Switzerland. Ensuring sufficient housing, efficient infrastructures, as well as promoting innovation and skilled workers are among the central challenges of the coming years. "The construction industry creates the foundations for daily life and the economic success of our country. It is my concern to assertively represent the concerns of our companies and to develop solutions for future challenges together," says Christian Wasserfallen.
The new Central President will take office from Gian-Luca Lardi in early 2027, who has shaped the Swiss Builders' Association as Central President since 2015.
Day of the Construction Industry sets impulses for the future of the sector:
The day of the election continued in the afternoon with the Day of the Construction Industry at the CAMPUS SURSEE. Under the theme "Focus on the Client," 600 representatives from the construction industry, politics, and business exchanged views on the future of construction in Switzerland. The focus was on the role of the client, successful cooperation models, and the prerequisites for efficient, sustainable, and high- quality construction projects.
SBV Central President Lardi calls for more partnership among clients:
SBV Central President Gian-Luca Lardi called on clients in the audience to rely more on integrated project execution and new cooperation models in complex construction projects. "That more cooperation instead of confrontation is possible can be proven daily on our construction sites," he explained. With an integrated project execution system, optimizations can be realized much more efficiently, provided the client wants this from the outset and makes the appropriate decisions.
The SBV has been actively involved in the development of the project alliance model in recent years and has since worked on its market introduction. Now, public and private institutional clients in particular are challenged "to courageously and innovatively go this way together with the main project participants." Experiences from home and abroad have shown that complex construction projects can be realized more successfully, efficiently, and with fewer conflicts in this way than with traditional models.
At the same time, Lardi referred to the new possibilities of the revised procurement law. "With the revised procurement law, which considers not only price but also innovation, quality, and sustainability, clients have gained new freedoms. Use these freedoms too," urged Gian-Luca Lardi.
The construction industry looks confidently to the future despite eventful years. It has once again impressively demonstrated its resilience. "Especially in uncertain times, it is crucial that construction continues to run as an economic engine for the benefit of the overall economy and our society." Given the good order situation and stable economic outlook, Lardi sees excellent long-term prospects for the construction industry and construction professions.
Impulses on the future of construction and real estate:
The guests enjoyed a broad spectrum of further lectures. Dr Armin Hartmann, President of the Government of the Canton of Lucerne 2026/27, brought in the political perspective. Philip Keil, pilot, author, TV aviation expert, and top 100 speaker, illuminated decision-making, responsibility, and cooperation from a special angle. Pierre Broye, Chairman of KBOB and Director of the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics BBL, spoke from the perspective of the public client. Bianca Weber-Lewerenz, civil engineer as well as digitization and AI expert in construction, demonstrated the opportunities new technologies open up for the industry. Andrea Wucher, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Messepark Bern AG, entrepreneur, and board member, complemented the program with entrepreneurial experience and strategic insights into the construction and real estate industry.
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