Business apartments on three floors and a small cinema

71 so-called ‘business apartments’ are planned on an area of 3,550 square metres In the Chama district of Cham. Their residents will have access to exclusive areas that are intended to “promote a sense of community”. When it comes to the prices of these apartments, however, the builders are keeping a low profile.

The first residents are currently moving into the Chama quarters on the Knonauerstrasse behind the OYM sport centre. 140 rental and condominium apartments are being built there.

As the developer Hiag announced, it has concluded a rental agreement with the Ariv company. This provides temporary accommodation such as rooms and apartments, which are also popularly known as ‘business apartments. The target group for the 71 units being created are business travellers, expats, professionals and families who are looking for a “flexible solution”. writes Hiag in a recent statement.

Rooms of different sizes between 18 and 35 square metres are available for rent. The Hiag company emphasizes that this is commercial space, and not residential rental space. “The residents of these future areas will only be allowed to stay there for a limited time, and will not be able to establish a permanent residence status,” the statement continues. The maximum length of stay is three months. The statement does not give any exact prices, however. These would simply “reflect the market rates in Zug and Cham”.

A look at various real estate platforms on the Internet shows what that could mean. In Zug, there are offers such as a 26-square-metre room for CHF 3,000 a month and one of 15 square metres for CHF 2,600. A 38-square-metre two-room apartment on the Luzernerstrasse in Cham is offered for rent at CHF 2,800 a month.

The large Chama development is being built in the Teuflibach area next to the OYM in Cham.
Among other things, there are 140 rental and condominiums there
Photos: Stefan Kaiser

More commercial area than originally planned
Until recently, the Chama area's website said that, in addition to the residential zone, a commercial zone of 3,000 square metres was planned. In their press release about the rental agreement with the Ariv company, however, it states that they would rent all three upper floors of the Anker building, which corresponds to an area of 3,550 square metres.

When asked, Hiag explains that the square metre information on the website corresponds to an earlier project stage. In the first stage, 4,310 square metres of commercial space would be created. This also included the 3,550 square metres for the business apartments. The figure for the first stage has now also been corrected on the website to around 4,000 square metres. In the second stage, a further 780 square metres are planned for commercial use.

Exclusive common areas for apartment residents
Three entire floors for business apartments in a residential zone, even though living space – and especially affordable housing - is so rare? Hiag justifies the step by saying that they want to make the area diverse and lively. That's why, in addition to the affordable apartments that have also been created, a mix of commercial uses is also important. This means that the 71 temporary accommodations are to be set off against the 25 apartments that are considered inexpensive according to the Zug Housing Promotion Act (Wohnraumförderungsgesetz). The rents for the 62 additional apartments will correspond to the normal rental prices in Zug.

A café is also planned on the ground floor of the Anker building. It is not yet definitively known which catering provider will operate this, as Hiag is currently in discussions with an interested party. “In terms of price, the ‘serviced apartments’ have no influence on the future catering offerings on the ground floor,” says Hiag.

The company also wrote in its press release about the “common areas” that would also be provided by Ariv. More precisely, this means: a shared kitchen, a fitness area, lounge areas, co-working space, and even a small cinema. The aim of this offer is to “promote a sense of community”. The areas are primarily intended for apartment residents, but the events and courses would also be open to all residents of the property. The roof terrace of the affected building is also accessible to all residents of the area. This should particularly please those people who will permanently enliven the area.