Overview
There are around 2000 municipal building laws in Switzerland, which vary greatly in terms of content and quality. This causes great uncertainty: delays in the approval process, demolition or unnecessary increases in the cost of projects. This inhibits densification and increases rental costs. The NZZ, for example, writes that building law has become a jungle that causes many reasonable projects to fail. Blick reports on a gauntlet run for the approval of solar installations on roofs. Again, the NZZ concludes that strict building laws are one reason for the housing shortage.
This project develops a unique method to 1) parameterize building laws by machine for the first time, 2) model the opportunities and risks of a project by linking them with other data and 3) identify development-inhibiting points in the regulation by machine and precisely quantify their effect/costs on settlement development.
This means that 1) the key information from building laws can be obtained in the shortest possible time, 2) planners and developers can adapt projects specifically to local requirements and thus maximize opportunities and minimize risks, 3) municipalities with investment-inhibiting processes can be actively approached and tailor-made measures identified.
Three products are being created: 1) Automatic extraction of planning parameters and regulations from building laws, 2) Opportunity-risk manager for investors and municipalities and 3) Sustainability monitor.
This is a major step forward for the construction and real estate industry. For the first time, building laws can be analyzed automatically and systematically at the touch of a button. The transparency created will promote densification and reduce costs. This leads to more affordable living space.