Half a
century of ZIMA
In 1971, Horst Zimmermann and DI Franz Markowski (†) founded the ZIMA Group in Vorarlberg, which quickly established itself as a leading local residential developer. Today—50 years later—approximately 180 employees across six branch offices in four countries are working on innovative real estate projects designed to retain their value. The focus is on creating sustainable real estate that offers a high quality of life and security for future owners and investors. In recent years, the company has not only completed more than 8,000 apartments and space for 6,500 jobs, but has also initiated numerous new projects.
Bright Future Prospects Thanks to an Attractive Project Pipeline
“As an owner-managed group of companies, we have been developing distinctive real estate projects in the German-speaking Alpine region since 1971. The work accomplished over the past 50 years fills me with pride and has set the stage for this success story to continue. Our current project pipeline, which currently comprises over 4,300 residential units and has a total project volume of around 1.8 billion euros, allows us to look to the future with confidence and optimism,” explains Alexander Nußbaumer, CEO of the ZIMA Group. Nußbaumer himself joined the company about 30 years ago and took it over in 1999 as part of a management buyout. In 2001, he acquired all company shares and has since managed the company’s operations as CEO and sole owner.
Among ZIMA’s current landmark projects is, for example, the “Kirschblüte” in Vienna. This new construction project in Donaustadt is already in its final stages and will be completed in the fall of 2021. With the “Attemsgarten,” another flagship project in the Austrian capital is also in the starting blocks. Another flagship project is currently Tyrol in Tyrol : With the Stadt Carré, the group is currently developing an attractive urban quarter in the heart of Innsbruck, comprising four buildings with approximately 250 residential units. The modern, fully furnished micro-living apartments are a particular highlight. Work on the “DASGOETHE” residential and commercial property in downtown Munich is already one step further along: the downtown project was completed in the spring of 2021.
50 Years of ZIMA – Trust as Our Most Valuable Asset
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, ZIMA emphasizes the importance of a partnership based on trust at every level. “Trust begins with creating a home and ends with keeping all promises made to partners, customers, and investors. It is built not through words, but through actions. We will continue to follow this guiding principle over the next 50 years,” Nußbaumer added. The group is active as a developer across various sectors, acquiring projects, constructing properties, and managing them. Reliability, quality, transparency, and appreciation are always indispensable components of this work.
Promoting sustainable concepts
“To succeed in this industry, you need the skills of a generalist, combined with business acumen and a reputation for keeping your word. That was true back then and hasn’t changed to this day. What is needed now more than ever is the courage to embrace new visions and the willingness to embrace change,” says Horst Zimmermann, one of the two ZIMA founders, who is over 80 years old, when asked what the success factors are for a project and real estate developer. ZIMA undoubtedly possesses the courage for new visions and the willingness to embrace change. The company has long utilized intelligent development concepts to conserve land and make sustainable use of existing spaces.
The most exciting and revolutionary topic of the future right now is purelivin, through which ZIMA, as a developer, promotes innovative and climate-positive construction. With this modular solid wood construction concept, serially prefabricated, complete room modules are combined into multifunctional residential units using the “plug & play” principle. The combination of high-quality solid wood and serial prefabrication enables short construction times, reduces CO2 emissions during construction, and creates residential buildings that are nearly 100% recyclable. Following this principle, projects in the areas of hotels, student housing, social centers, schools, offices, and residential construction—involving around 7,000 modules—have already been successfully implemented in collaboration with partner Kaufmann Bausysteme from Reuthe, even beyond Austria’s borders. Currently, additional purelivin projects comprising over 350 apartments and more than 900 modules are in the planning and implementation phases.
About ZIMA
The ZIMA Group has been developing real estate projects for 50 years and is one of the largest private real estate developers in the German-speaking Alpine region. Its headquarters are in Dornbirn. Additional offices are located in Innsbruck, Bolzano, Munich, St. Gallen, and Vienna. Total annual revenue in 2020 exceeded EUR 253 million.
