As communities increasingly rely on containers for asylum seekers: schools have to wait for temporary buildings

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Containers for schools or for the asylum area? This is the question that more and more Swiss communities must ask themselves. Due to the increasing number of asylum seekers, housing containers are increasingly being used as a solution to the lack of space, reports the ‘NZZ am Sonntag’.

Because: In contrast to underground civil protection systems, containers prove to be more economical due to their flexible structure and improved insulation values. Condecta AG, a leading company in the container sector, has registered a significant increase in the sale and rental of asylum containers. Within a year, 2,500 to 3,000 residential containers were placed across the country, twice as many as the year before.

Some challenges

Refugee Aid advocates the use of containers as living space, and about half of cantons are already planning or operating container settlements. In Seuzach ZH near Winterthur, for example, containers were purchased at a reasonable price to accommodate the additional asylum seekers due to the higher asylum fee.

And yet there are challenges in building container settlements. Because: The planning for the reception of further asylum seekers is complicated due to uncertain future scenarios, writes the “NZZ am Sonntag”. In addition, delivery and assembly times for containers are becoming longer and Switzerland could run into problems in the event of a shortage, as foreign manufacturers often do not adhere to local building regulations.

Schools on the waiting list

However, the current container policy also competes with other needs, especially the urgent need for school space. There is a great need for additional classrooms in Switzerland. That is why containers are already used in many locations. However, the sale of containers for the asylum sector may result in the capacity of schools being compromised.

Municipalities confirm the conflicting objectives in the article. They would like more help from the federal government, such as discussions about joint tender projects between municipalities and cantons for containers and other housing options.

Only: in the spring, the Federal Council and the National Council wanted to release approximately 133 million francs for containers for the reception of asylum seekers. For this, 3,000 asylum places should have been made available. However, the Council of States canceled the additional loan. (oco)

Source:Blick