
Lucerne Invests Nine Million in Digital Permits
The canton of Lucerne plans to handle building permit applications entirely digitally and is investing approximately nine million francs over a period of ten years to do so. For building owners, planners, and municipalities, this will not only involve replacing the software but also overhauling the

Eastern Switzerland is setting up a joint AI administration
Seven ORK cantons, Zurich and Liechtenstein intend to jointly develop, procure and standardise AI for use in public administration. This is increasing the pressure to ensure that digital processes for planning applications, property management and other procedures are compatible across

How universities plan the construction site of the future
The HWZ in Zurich and Mainz University of Applied Sciences are joining forces to make the construction industry more digitally fit. The focus is on new study and further education courses at the interface of real estate, data and the built environment. This will give companies better access to

St. Gallen trims its construction processes
Building in the canton of St. Gallen requires strong nerves. The government now wants to streamline the procedures, above all with digital processes and better coordination. However, it can hardly do anything about the sensitive issue of objection and appeal

Federal Council wants to accelerate residential construction
In view of the housing shortage, the Federal Council is planning measures to shorten the planning and building permit procedures for residential construction. For example, it is considering asserting an overriding national interest in certain cases and restricting certain objections.

Zurich tests AI in the building permit process
Check building applications, check completeness, relieve authorities. What has long sounded like a dream of the future is now becoming a reality in the canton of Zurich. Based on a postulate from cantonal councillor Sonja Rueff-Frenkel, the cantonal government has commissioned two studies and has

When cantons go from being a drag to a location factor
Building permits determine how quickly residential, commercial and energy projects become reality. In Switzerland, analog routines and digital ambitions collide. Those who invest in functioning e-processes today gain speed, transparency and political

Trust company expands offering with industry software for construction SMEs
Gewerbe-Treuhand AG now also offers its customers the AbaBau software. By expanding the range of Abacus software, Gewerbe-Treuhand wants to make a name for itself as a solution partner for industry software in the ancillary building
PropTech remains invisible and indispensable
As one of the first PropTech pioneers in Switzerland, Heinz Schwyter knows the digital development of the real estate industry like no other. In this interview, he talks about the importance of data, the role of AI, cultural and organizational hurdles and which trends and technologies will shape

Strategisches Wachstumsprogramm setzt auf Digitalisierung und Effizienz
Das in der Spezialchemie angesiedelte Unternehmen Sika hat ein Fast-Forward-Programm für Wachstum und Stabilität vorgestellt. Vorgesehen sind einerseits Investitionen, zum Beispiel in die Digitalisierung, und andererseits Einsparungen in dreistelliger

Smart access solutions
Salto can look back on an impressive success story in 2025. From a start-up, it has become the global technology leader for intelligent access systems. With digital platforms, wireless solutions and biometric access, the Group sets pioneering standards for securing and managing rooms

Energy self-sufficiency for buildings and 6G
Coin-sized, lead-free and battery-free sensors could form the backbone of digital infrastructure in buildings, transport and telecommunications in the future. Led by the ZHAW, together with Imperial College London, the Politecnico di Milano, Multiwave Technologies and STMicroelectronics, the

Hotel castle wins prestigious design award
Dormakaba Holding AG has won the ICONIC Award from the German Design Council with its Quantum Pixel electronic hotel lock. The digital hotel lock is integrated directly into the door leaf, assigns access rights digitally and thus increases convenience for hotel guests and the hotel

G15 Symposium: Progress instead of regulations – breaking free from constraints, shaping the future
The real estate industry will once again be at the center of social debate in 2026. Increasing regulation, social change and the call for innovation are forcing the industry to reposition itself. On February 2, the Group of Fifteen is hosting its 25th symposium at the Kunsthaus Zürich to shed

Digital management of real estate portfolios
The precise management of real estate portfolios today requires an intelligent combination of data, technology and strategic thinking. Only those who digitally structure and network relevant information can create the basis for sustainable investment decisions and value

“The construction industry is more agile than many people think”
The Swiss construction industry is facing profound upheaval and is responding with remarkable flexibility. Rebecca Kull, COO and owner of HRS Real Estate and board member of Entwicklung Schweiz, talks about efficiency leaps through digitalization, the new role of general and total contractors and

Five mobility trends are driving the real estate industry
Digital parking systems, data-driven land use and artificial intelligence. After Expo Real 2025, it is clear that the mobility turnaround has long since arrived on the land of the real estate industry. Europe's leading free-flow provider Wemolo identifies five trends that are transforming parking


ZHAW pools expertise in new competence group
With Andrea González, the ZHAW has gained an internationally recognized expert to head the new Smart Building Management competence group. From September 2025, she and her team will be working on making buildings and infrastructures smarter, more sustainable and more resilient. This will be based

Small cities are increasingly interested in the smart city
Small cities in Switzerland are increasingly interested in the topic of smart cities. This is the result of the new Swiss Smart City Survey conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Digitalization and the environment in particular are playing an increasingly important

Small cities drive smart transformation
The new ZHAW Smart City Survey illustrates how Swiss cities, especially smaller municipalities, are recognizing the potential of intelligent solutions and implementing more and more projects in the field of digitalization and sustainability. Smart environment and renewable energies are moving to


Digitised road network for the district of Horgen
From mid-July 2025, iNovitas AG will be digitally mapping the road network in the district of Horgen. The three-dimensional image of the road network is intended to support the administration, planning offices and utility companies. Personal rights will remain

Apply now for the Digital Journey Challenge 2025
The CSEM's Digital Journey Challenge 2025 supports Swiss companies in the realisation of innovative digital projects. With funding of up to CHF 100,000, technological expertise and international visibility, the initiative offers a unique opportunity, especially for SMEs. The application deadline is

6G Europe network shapes digital transformation
From energy-efficient networks to wireless real-time communication: researchers and universities in Europe are pushing ahead with the development of future communication technologies at full speed. With innovative approaches for time-sensitive networking, Li-Fi and 6G, Fraunhofer IPMS and OTH

Walz 4.0 brings construction into the digital future
The Interreg project Walz 4.0 is creating an ambitious model for sustainable construction in the four-country region of Lake Constance. Under the leadership of the ZHAW, craftsmanship expertise, academic knowledge and digital technologies are being combined. The aim is a building culture that


Cooperation strengthens digital precision in infrastructure construction
Amberg Technologies from Regensdorf and Topcon Positioning Systems from California have agreed to work together. The partners intend to integrate Topcon's sensor solutions into Amberg's software and hardware platforms for rail and tunnel

