Tag: digital

immojob.ch becomes part of immobilienjobs.ch

The online job market immojob.ch is now part of immobilienjobs.ch. This strengthens the platform’s position as a job platform for specialists and managers as well as employers in the property sector and location promotion. Whether job search or recruitment, immojob.ch builds bridges between talents and companies that shape the industry.

Diverse job offers for all sectors
The world of property is diverse and so is the range of jobs on immojob.ch. The platform covers a wide range of fields such as administration, construction, management, architecture, development, facility management, IT/digital, finance, fiduciary, sales, marketing, public sector and many more.

Whether you are an experienced specialist or an ambitious leader, this is where expertise and opportunity meet. Companies can find the right talent, while candidates can plan their next career move in a targeted manner.

More than just a job market
immojob.ch sees itself as a career platform that offers more than just job adverts. The focus here is on promoting careers and the further development of the property sector. Through targeted networking, employers and specialists are brought together to shape innovations together.

Your partner for the future
The integration of immojob.ch into immobilienjobs.ch is an important step towards offering specialists and managers even more targeted opportunities and making it easier for employers to access the best talent. Whether you are looking for your next challenge or the perfect addition to your team – immojob.ch will accompany you on this journey.

Let’s shape the future of the property industry together.

December 2024
Outstanding projects at the Real Estate Award 2024

The event begins with a networking aperitif at 5 pm, which offers the opportunity to exchange ideas with leading figures from the industry. The winners in the categories of sustainability, project development/innovation, digital and marketing will then be announced at a gala dinner. The Real Estate Personality of the Year will also be honoured.

Guest speaker Patrizia Laeri will provide insights into the topics of finance and diversity. Councillor of States and FDP President Thierry Burkart will discuss the current challenges and opportunities in the property sector with Annina Campell.

Performances by comedian Joël von Mutzenbecher and the rockabilly band ‘the B-Shakers’ round off the evening. The Real Estate Award 2024 offers a varied programme that combines professional exchange with entertainment.

September 2024
Laurent Decrue new member of the Board of Directors of newhome.ch AG

Laurent Decrue brings extensive entrepreneurial experience and digital expertise to the Board of Directors. As founder of the moving company Movu, former CEO of Bexio and co-founder and CEO of Holycode, he is a valuable asset to Newhome. Decrue succeeds Prof Dr Dr Christian Wunderlin.

Digital expertise for future direction
Dr Roman Timm, CEO of Newhome, is delighted with the new addition: “With Laurent, we have been able to gain one of the most influential figures in the Swiss start-up landscape. He brings with him important entrepreneurial expertise as well as in-depth digital knowledge. This supports our strategy towards a customer-centric, transparent and industry-friendly platform.”

Laurent Decrue is pursuing ambitious goals: “My aim is to make the property market as open and transparent as possible to ensure that pricing in the Swiss property landscape is not distorted by a monopoly position. I am convinced that Newhome can help to improve the property search in Switzerland.”

In February 2024, Manuel Bächi and Andreas Schiller joined the Board of Directors as part of AXA’s investment in Newhome.

July 2024
Urban Manufacturing!

More than ten years ago, we prepared an internal study on user-centred location development for an economic region. The core focus was on high-tech companies whose needs were to be taken into account in settlement processes. By high-tech companies we did not just mean the “Googles” and “Facebooks” of today’s economy, but companies in general that operate with the most modern means, i.e. also manufacturing industry. Larger companies looking for a new location were interested in having a university close to them geographically. This was in order to ensure an exchange with science and teaching and to be able to attract graduates with attractive offers in relative proximity. Google leads the way: in 2004, the American company started in Zurich with two employees. Today, the high-tech company offers around 5,000 jobs in Zurich. This is not only because Zurich is a beautiful city, but above all because the renowned “Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule” (ETH) is at home in Zurich. The study also showed that employees of such companies look for a wide range of local leisure and cultural activities, i.e. short distances. Even if land prices are higher in the city than in the countryside: many companies attach importance to “exciting” buildings for their corporate base (see exemplary article picture). The city often offers interesting brownfield sites where industrial companies used to be located. As a PR effect and from the perspective of good employer branding, this should not be underestimated.

So why should urban locations consider creating more offers for manufacturing industry again in the future? The answer: underused areas are functionally mixed and thus upgraded. The municipality contributes to shorter distances, relieves the sometimes overburdened local transport system, the commuter volume is reduced, which leads to an increased sustainability of a location. By creating jobs in the municipality, purchasing power is increased, which in turn increases business tax revenues. Urban manufacturing is a megatrend that distinguishes between “urban industry”, “urban manufactures” (handicrafts) and “urban agriculture” (urban farming). A future topic that is very interesting for every city and urban region and should be kept in mind as a topic in location development. Why not create a picture of the future that shows what a sustainable location could look like in the future with a healthy mix of manufacturing, leisure and housing?

Swiss Association for Location Management SVSM – the umbrella organisation for location and business development
The SVSM is a practice-oriented and independent contact point for questions on the topic of location management and business development. As an umbrella association, it has around 80 members from the fields of location management, regional marketing, business development and real estate. The association promotes the interdisciplinary exchange of experience and networking and is committed to professionalism in location management. With the event series “SVSM Dialog”, the SVSM organises a semi-annual hybrid specialist conference with a changing focus on location management or economic development. Since 2007, the organisation has presented the SVSM Awards for innovative projects in location and business development and elected a deserving personality as location manager of the year.

www.svsm-standortmanagement.ch
info@svsm-standortmanagement.ch

April 2023
Halter is committed to digital building

According to a press release, Schlierem-based real estate developer Halter AG is supporting the Design++ Centre for Augmented Computational Design in Architecture, Engineering and Construction at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich(ETH) with a generous donation to the ETH Foundation over six years.

At the centre, digital tools and processes are being developed that simultaneously improve design, increase productivity in the construction process, enhance the quality of buildings and reduce their ecological impact. To this end, current knowledge from the fields of artificial intelligence with a focus on machine learning and augmented reality will flow into architecture and civil engineering.

“The development and establishment of novel processes and business models is imperative to increase the productivity and sustainability of the construction industry, not least with regard to a relevant reduction of CO2 emissions,” Balz Halter, Chairman of the Board of Halter AG, is quoted as saying. “The Design++ Centre at ETH Zurich with its promising approach represents a very important commitment for us in this regard,” Halter continues.

Halter AG’s support will primarily be used for the establishment of a fellowship programme to promote digital design and construction at the Zentrum Design++. Talented researchers are to further develop promising technologies to market maturity in order to contribute to resource efficiency, circular economy and the reduction of carbon emissions in architecture and civil engineering through new business models.

March 2023
Real estate: maximize sales proceeds with the right broker

The home ownership platform Liiva supports homeowners in a simple and transparent way in recognizing risks and making the right decisions – from the acquisition to the maintenance to the sale of the apartment or house. When maintaining a property, you can use the modernization assistant (MoA), for example, to find out what measures you need to take to maintain the value of your property – and what needs to be done to increase it.
The innovative MoA determines the current market value of a property and creates an object analysis as well as a concrete renovation plan. In addition, Liiva indicates the energy consumption of the property, provides general information on energy-related renovation and determines the specific potential of the property for energy improvement.
Selling price is more important than brokerage fee
The sale of a property also has far-reaching financial consequences and must therefore be well prepared. For the sale of residential property, Liiva complements its digital services with physical presence and the know-how of experienced brokers. Agents normally charge 2 to 3 percent of the sales price achieved, which is around 30,000 to 45,000 francs for a property with a market value of 1.5 million francs. Agents not only help to find a buyer through their network, optimize the sale price, draft contracts and complete the sale, but also offer other valuable local know-how.
But what criteria do I use to select a suitable broker? The brokerage fee should only have a secondary influence on the decision. When selling a property, the aim is usually to maximize the sales proceeds – and because the sales price can vary by 100,000 to 200,000 francs and more, optimizing the proceeds is more important than the brokerage fee, which is 10,000 to 20,000 francs lower or can be higher. The involvement of an experienced broker is therefore of the utmost importance.
Choose the best broker
A professional broker selection is independent and based on transparent criteria. That means, for example, are there currently numerous similar properties in the brokerage firm's sales portfolio, were such properties recently sold, how quickly were they sold, and at what price? In addition, the selection should be made from a sufficiently broad pool of brokers.
Thanks to Liiva's partnership with the independent real estate platform Bestag, which specializes in finding the most suitable brokers, several competent local brokers can be suggested to customers throughout Switzerland; the final choice is made by the sellers. There is no exclusivity and no special placements for selected brokers – and the quality of the broker's sales work is constantly checked. Liiva personally accompanies the seller through all steps of the sales process.
Transparent incentive system
Specifically, three local brokers are suggested to the customers, from whom they each receive a market value estimate of their property. In addition, Liiva provides two neutral hedonic estimates that give customers a good idea of where the current fair price is. The remuneration of the selected brokers is based on a bonus-malus system that ensures that the broker makes the best possible effort with the sale: If the broker exceeds the target price, he or she earns a higher percentage.
For the sellers there are no additional costs for this brokerage, since the expenses incurred by Liiva are covered by a small part of the brokerage commission. These commissions vary depending on the location, but are always shown transparently. The customer can thus decide for himself in advance whether he agrees with the broker's suggestions and the corresponding conditions, and there are no unpleasant surprises.
The mix of digital and physical services when selling real estate enables the best result to be achieved.

September 2022
New complete solution for the dynamization of private parking areas

The solution combines the tried-and-tested Scheidt & Bachmann hardware in a lean set-up consisting of a barrier, lane assistant and camera. Highly standardized and easy to install via Plug & Play. The license plate serves as an identification feature for those authorized to park.
All parking processes are intuitively managed via the software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution – this is purely web-based and on any end device: no app, no tickets, no transponders, no plastic cards or complex server infrastructure are necessary.
Parking space management rethought
The increasing flexibility of the working world leads to inconsistent mobility behavior and makes efficient parking space management a challenge. “During peak and office hours, there is a lot of pressure to park in the vicinity of office buildings, for example, from employees. After work and at the weekends, on the other hand, the parking lot is often empty,” explains Dr.-Ing. Maximilian Russmann. The system enables parking spaces to be allocated dynamically, thus minimizing undesirable utilization fluctuations. Rüßmann continues: "We create needs-based usage options for all user groups of a parking area with contingents that can be configured flexibly in terms of time, which are managed efficiently and digitally."
Lean, digital processes reduce the administrative effort. Those authorized to park can book the parking space themselves via the system. Simply providing the vehicle registration number is sufficient. When entering, the camera then recognizes this number plate and the barrier at the entrance to the parking lot opens. The smart parking space management leads to higher satisfaction among parkers and to more sustainability. In addition, the more efficient use of space ensures fewer CO2 emissions and reduced traffic looking for a parking space, less traffic noise and surface sealing.

September 2022
Siemens Smart Infrastructure acquires Brightly

Brightly Software , a software-as-a-service (SaaS) facility and maintenance management company based in Cary, North Carolina, has acquired Siemens Smart Infrastructure . A corresponding agreement has already been signed, Siemens informed in a statement . The purchase price is $1.575 billion plus a performance-based earn-out component.

The takeover is intended to promote the growth of the Zug-based Siemens subsidiary in the digital and software as a service divisions. In particular, the acquisition will complement the offerings of Siemens Smart Infrastructure for building technology "with established cloud-based solutions in key sectors such as public infrastructure, education and healthcare as well as manufacturing," according to the release. At the same time, Siemens wants to use Brightly's position in the American market. In addition, the Group expects synergies with a net cash value in the mid three-digit million range.

"With Brightly, we are taking a big leap forward and are taking the operation of buildings to the next level," Matthias Rebellius, Member of the Management Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Smart Infrastructure, is quoted as saying in the press release. The acquisition of Brightly supports Siemens' vision to "create fully autonomous buildings that continuously learn from the people who live in them and adapt to their needs".

June 2022
«The real estate industry still has the best years of digitization ahead of it»

About the person
As Chief Digital Officer at Steiner AG, Giuseppe Giglio is responsible for digital transformation and the development of new digital products. Previously, he was responsible for the digitization of sales channels and the development of support platforms for private customers at Swisscom.

Mr. Giglio, what is your job at Steiner AG?
Together with my team of around 25 people, I am responsible for digital corporate development. Our goal: to keep the company technologically fit and to successfully establish it in new digital markets. A year ago, Steiner AG bundled the competencies for the digital area and gave me responsibility.

You previously worked outside of the real estate industry. From your point of view, where is digitization in the real estate sector compared to other sectors?
Other industries were able to benefit from the advantages of digitization earlier. Real estate is still at the beginning of this journey. However, in the many discussions I have had with various companies in our industry, I sense a great willingness to change. There is a kind of spirit of optimism. The real estate sector still has the best years of digitization ahead of it. It was also this circumstance that made me personally decide to switch.

Was this spirit of optimism stimulated by the corona pandemic?
The pandemic has certainly put some pressure on pushing digital issues. But I believe that the real estate industry would be at this point even without Corona. Companies don’t want to be left behind and remain competitive.

Where is Steiner AG ahead in terms of digitization?
Not least because of its modern IT infrastructure, the company was able to adapt very quickly to the new market conditions of the last two years. For example, we were able to immediately send the staff from the offices to the home office without any problems and ensure operations at all times. We came out of the pandemic more successful and stronger. Steiner AG also consistently relied on BIM for its own developments very early on. Today we can draw on more than ten years of experience in this technology and know all the tricks and pitfalls.

Which digitization topics are currently particularly in demand?
The energy and climate targets for 2030 challenge the industry along the entire value chain. In this respect, there is a great deal of demand for topics relating to transparency with regard to environmental indicators. In addition, online collaboration platforms – which are already standard in other sectors – are gradually gaining a foothold in the real estate industry.

To what extent has BIM already established itself today?
We find that BIM or parts of BIM are very often used in larger projects. We have also registered high demand for renovations and existing buildings in recent months. We have some catching up to do when it comes to smaller projects or explicitly in the area of building operations. Digitization is always associated with process changes and investments – many companies are still cautious here. We need to show decision makers the benefits of BIM and provide evidence.

What are the advantages of BIM?
BIM creates the basis for real networking of real estate projects. If applied consistently and consistently, planning errors can be avoided in an early phase – and it is possible to react faster and therefore more cheaply to new general conditions. Digital planning also enables efficient operation. The benefits for building operations are exponentially greater.

« Artificial intelligence is already indispensable today »

Can you give an example of Smart Home?
The best-known examples are the intelligent control of building technology such as lighting, heating and security solutions, such as door locks or alarm systems. Such solutions are now widespread.

What are the advantages of Smart Home?
One speaks today of “Ambient Assisted Living”. Smart technology in the living area, for example, allows older people to stay longer in their own apartment or house and lead a self-determined life, even if they have health restrictions. For example, with the help of sensors that register when someone falls over and immediately trigger an alarm. There is also the option of controlling lights/blinds, etc. barrier-free via speech and not via complicated control elements. Last but not least, this topic also harbors a lot of potential on the investor side.

Which one exactly?
A smart home can measure and control the consumption of household technology such as heating or cooling, which leads to a reduction in electricity consumption. This results in lower operating costs.

How and where are future technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) already being used today?
AR and VR are currently still niche topics that are often used as marketing tools. They are excellent for visualizing visions and are breeding ground for inspiration.

AI, on the other hand, is already a reality more often than you think: For example, when determining costs or detecting anomalies in building operation. Since these processes are usually carried out in the background, the user often does not notice that artificial intelligence or an algorithm is involved. If you plan and build digitally today, artificial intelligence has become indispensable.

What is necessary for AR and VR to also become suitable for everyday use?
We have to tackle projects with a «digital first mindset». The earlier a project is tackled digitally, the more profitable it becomes overall. We need more practical examples that show that projects with this way of thinking become more successful. VR in particular is helpful in an early phase to improve cooperation and to quickly make critical decisions. I am convinced that AR and VR will prevail in the real estate sector in the next five years.

Which digitization solutions are most in demand from partners and subcontractors of Steiner AG?
Many companies are still at the beginning of their digitization journey. That is why training courses, BIM management and real estate inventories for the digital inventory of the real estate portfolio are currently in particularly high demand.

In your opinion, how will digitization change the industry in the next five years?
I believe that digitization is bringing us all closer together. Clients, the public and companies work and exchange information on the same platform and actively shape the project. This leads to a democratization of real estate projects, which in turn leads to more successful and sustainable results.

June 2022
Negative effects of the Ukraine war on the real estate industry in Switzerland

The Ukraine war has global economic ramifications. How do you feel it in the local real estate market? PriceHubble investigated this question with a survey of real estate professionals from all areas of the real estate industry.
55 percent of the real estate professionals who took part in the current study "Effects of the Ukraine War on the Real Estate Industry in Switzerland" believe that the Ukraine crisis could have a negative impact on their company over the next twelve months. 31 percent think there will be no impact. In contrast, 14 percent of respondents see a positive development for their business.
According to those surveyed, the reasons for a change are the increase in construction costs, rising mortgage interest rates and a stagnating or declining buyer's market. As one real estate manager comments: «The increase in material costs and delivery times affects both the construction sites and the purchase prices. As a result, buyers will resort to existing goods and abandon construction projects.”
In general, more real estate professionals (28 percent) see a decrease in the number of mandates over the next twelve months than an increase (17 percent). More than 55 percent of those surveyed do not expect any change in the number of mandates.
50 percent of the respondents are of the opinion that projects will not be postponed because of the Ukraine war. 9 percent expect a postponement of up to 6 months, 12 percent a delay of 6 to 12 months, 26 percent of 12 to 18 months, 2 percent a postponement of the projects by 18 to 24 months and another 2 percent even by up to to 24 to 30 months.
Development of luxury properties difficult to predict
In the case of luxury real estate, 34 percent of those surveyed stated that they expected prices to rise. In contrast, 31 percent believe that a decline is to be expected. 35 percent are of the opinion that the prices in this segment will not change.
In the comments column to this question, many of the respondents indicated that they expected a decrease in general interest in objects in this segment. Others are of the opinion that luxury real estate is crisis-resistant and that the strong demand will remain. Many are also convinced that the supply will remain stable.
"Luxury real estate in Switzerland, especially in exclusive locations, will always tend to find buyers (both domestically and abroad) and it is therefore possible that the prices for them remain the same or may even rise," comments one broker.
Price development of energy-efficient objects remains exciting
When it comes to the question of whether a greater price change is to be expected when buying properties with a high energy efficiency class (A or A+), there is a tie: 50 percent say "yes" and 50 percent say "no".
With regard to the demand for real estate with a high energy efficiency class since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, 68 percent of the real estate experts surveyed stated that they had not noticed any change. "But it will come, people are slowly becoming sensitive to it," a real estate manager commented on this question. 32 percent of those surveyed believe that demand has already increased.
Regarding rental prices for properties with a high energy efficiency class (A or A+): 69 percent of the participants stated that there will be no changes. In contrast, 31 percent expect a change.
Further results, for example on the impact of rising mortgage interest rates, the development of rents or sales prices of residential properties can be found in the complete study.

June 2022
Miromico manufactures 26,000 climate sensors for Ecco2

Ecco2 is increasing its production volume from over 11,000 in the past two years to 26,000 climate sensors. As a provider of intelligent solutions for buildings, the company based in Givisiez wants to reduce the consumption of heating energy. These sensors are manufactured by the Zurich high-tech company Miromico , which focuses on development services for integrated circuits, electronic systems and the Internet of Things. As stated in amedia release , Miromico has been Ecco2’s “trustworthy hardware manufacturer” for years.

With the increased production volume, Ecco2 wants to tackle energy savings of up to 4,000,000 square meters of heated space from 2023, according to its Head of Operations, Alain Wagnières. With this production capacity, Ecco2 can fulfill its vision of saving 50,000,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually by next winter.”

In Switzerland this year, Ecco2 won the Prix d’Innovation in the digital category at the annual event for real estate professionals, Rent Switzerland . The company was also awarded the Swisscom IoT Climate Award 2022 in silver.

June 2022
Home ownership: the mix of digitization and physical presence is crucial

Do you remember the time when there was no internet? In Switzerland, the Internet boom began in 1995 – on September 16, 1996, the Internet became affordable for the general public, since access was possible throughout Switzerland at local telephone rates. The USA, especially American Internet startups, paved the way to the Internet age worldwide – Amazon was founded in 1994, Ebay in 1995 and Google in 1998.
Activities in areas such as e-commerce, e-banking and various market and information platforms quickly followed in Switzerland. The marketplace for rental apartments and home ownership was digitized early on: the market leaders Immoscout24 and Homegate were founded in 1997 and 2001 respectively. In recent years, countless other platforms and services related to the real estate market have joined the online marketplaces for renting and selling real estate: sharing platforms such as Airbnb, housing portals where landlords look for tenants, real estate platforms for institutional investors, platforms for crowdsourcing and peer-to-peer financing, and many more.
The search for real estate takes place virtually
Digital platforms are an essential part of the housing market – and there is hardly anyone who does not first visit the websites or apps of the various providers when looking for a rental apartment or a home. Efficient search engines provide valuable information on offers and prices; increasingly better 360-degree videos offer virtual tours, and chatbots answer the most pressing questions. User trust in many of these digital platforms is high, not least because false information is immediately exposed by the community.
These digital services provide a quick and easy market overview from the sofa; if a new property that meets certain criteria comes onto the market, the interested party will be notified immediately. But while the search for real estate has been almost completely and successfully relocated to the virtual space, most tenants still want to see the potential new apartment in person – and when buying, selling and maintaining residential property, hardly anything works without a physical presence. Digitization is reaching its limits.
With the help of digital assistants, a property profile can be created quickly and easily with the year of construction, net living space, property type, location, etc. and the current condition of the building can be determined. Based on such a profile, individual modernization assistants even provide concrete recommendations as to exactly what should be replaced or modernized and when, including a range of the corresponding renovation costs. Platforms can also provide a lot of suggestions and information in the area of energy-efficient renovation, for example on savings in electricity consumption or possible subsidies for heating systems based on renewable energy.
Physical presence is required for investment decisions
However, when it comes to assessing the "look and feel" of a property, physical presence on site is essential. The definitive assessment of the condition of a building and the decision as to which renovation materials are really necessary can only be made on site – and together with experienced experts. The choice of the right craftsmen also takes place physically, at least in a second step, since they also have to inspect the property personally in order to be able to create concrete offers.
In addition, many financial institutions require a "physical" appraisal prepared by a special appraiser for the financing of a home. Since real estate is not fungible, every transaction is different – and specialists should also be consulted for the negotiation and conclusion of a real estate transaction.
Digital home ownership platforms can provide a lot of benefits and cover many needs related to the purchase, maintenance or sale of a property. But it doesn't work without people. Only the mix of digitization and physical presence – as well as the support of appropriate experts – leads to the best result.

April 2022
Verit and Flatfox offer completely digital rentals

Zurich -based Verit Immobilien AG , together with the rental portal of Bernese Flatfox AG , offers a fully digitized rental and rental process. According to a press release , this will conclude a pilot project lasting more than a year and extend the offer to all of Switzerland for the first time. From the application to the conclusion of the tenant deposit to the signing of the rental contract, the entire process is digital. That goes as far as ordering the name badges for the new tenant. It is not only the tenants who benefit from the time savings, according to the press release. For the owners, the chance of seamless follow-up letting increases

Shortly before the end of the year, Verit Immobilien and Flatfox opened the first digital rental deposit as part of the electronic re-letting process, around a year after the first rental agreement was electronically signed by the tenant and landlord. The successful pilot project will now be offered at all Verit locations in Switzerland. After Verit started with Flatfox, ELCA Informatik , Skribble , Helvetia Versicherung , SwissCaution , FirstCaution and, for a rental deposit account, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg are now also involved in the offer.

Verit Immobilien uses the Flatfox platform to handle the entire process. Martin Frei, Chief Digital Officer at Verit, is quoted as saying: "The entire process of re-letting takes place seamlessly digitally via the Flatfox platform – from the time a potential tenant becomes aware of an offer to the formally valid issue of the rental agreement . "Of course, this also applies to all intermediate steps such as initial contact, registration, deposit, credit check and ordering of tags."

January 2022
ETH robots build hanging gardens for Zug

The Tech Cluster Zug will have hanging gardens based on ancient models. The planted architectural sculpture intended for this purpose bears the name Semiramis. It is 22.5 meters high and consists of five differently sized and geometrically complex wooden bowls that are placed one on top of the other. A video presented in a media release from ETH shows how these are supported by eight slender steel supports.

Researchers from the group of ETH architecture professors Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler design and create Semiramis together with Müller Illien landscape architects , the timber construction engineers from Timbatec and other partners from industry and research. The design options come from a machine learning algorithm that was developed in collaboration with the Swiss Data Science Center .

“The computer model enables us to reverse the conventional design process and to explore the entire scope for designing a project,” Matthias Kohler, Professor of Architecture and Fabrication at ETH Zurich, is quoted as saying. In the Immersive Design Lab , an ETH laboratory for augmented reality, the researchers were able to explore the designs in three dimensions. A software developed jointly with the Computational Robotics Lab at ETH allowed the designs to be modified. According to Kohler, this lighthouse project in architectural research is driving “key research topics such as interactive architectural design and digital fabrication”.

The Semiramis sculpture is currently being built by four cooperating robotic arms in the robotic production laboratory at ETH Zurich. An algorithm prevents collisions if you each lift one of the wooden panels and place them in the room at the same time. The robots relieve humans of the heavy lifting and precise positioning. They also make complex scaffolding unnecessary.

The individual shell segments each consist of 51 to 88 wooden panels. When one of them is ready, it is transported to Zug by truck. Semiramis is to be erected and planted in spring 2022.

November 2021
ConReal wants to digitize interior design

ConReal Swiss has set itself the goal of breaking up “the old structures of the construction and real estate industry”, explains the proptech start-up from Winterthur in a press release . “We want to make the construction industry fairer, more transparent and more efficient,” said co-founder and board member Christoph Meili. “We would also like to give small and medium-sized companies access to data and digital tools.”

In order to achieve this, ConReal relies on the networking of actors in the construction and real estate industry. The young company itself offers digital and analog services in the real estate sector. ConReal wants to build a comprehensive marketplace in interior design. In a first step, the company’s current marketplace for the bathroom will be repositioned, the company writes. Habitects is to appear under the ConReal brand.

The transfer will create a digital marketplace for bathroom remodeling, explains ConReal. Homeowners can choose their style there and have an individual concept drawn up with a target price. As a result, a 3D model of the project is created and a craftsman is entrusted with a feasibility study and a final offer. The desired articles can also be ordered via the marketplace.

ConReal believes that everyone involved could benefit from the combination of traditional handicrafts and physical products with new digital tools. The start-up plans to expand the platform to other categories. The communication mentions the kitchen and flooring.

October 2021
The digital, meaningful and forgery-proof alternative to the debt enforcement extract

There is an enormous amount of dynamism in the real estate market. The apartment carousel also rotates correspondingly quickly. Supply and demand find each other easily and directly via digital platforms. Because the web clearly shows what the rental property has to offer. In the further process, however, the creditworthiness of the potential tenant remained opaque until a year ago. Despite the excerpt from the debt enforcement register that those interested in the rental property had to submit. Because even this document, which at that time still had no alternative and was therefore indispensable, with a cumbersome name and the same procurement method, did not provide the landlord with any clarity. On the one hand, the conventional extract only shows the debt enforcement situation at the current place of residence. Any debt enforcement proceedings at previous places of residence remain invisible – the more than 400 debt enforcement offices in Switzerland are not networked. On the other hand, the document, which is still issued on paper, can be ‘corrected’ fairly easily. Accordingly, trickery is often used here with unpleasant entries.

More trust, less uncertainty with CreditTrust …
It is therefore not surprising that the newly developed CreditTrust certificate, launched in 2020, has established itself as an innovative and extremely reliable creditworthiness certificate with property managers within a few months. The digital, blockchain-secured certificate cannot be falsified, uses the two largest creditworthiness databases in Switzerland to determine solvency and only brings advantages on all sides: the landlord minimizes his risk of rent defaults many times over and the prospective tenant can deal with it within show the certificate issued in three minutes as really solvent and trustworthy.

… and gain a multiple of security and expressiveness
Almost as quickly, the CreditTrust certificate made it into the group of nominees for this year’s Real Estate Award in the management category. The award recognizes key projects and innovations that change the market and give impetus to the Swiss real estate world. The joy of all three companies involved in the development of the CreditTrust certificate – Intrum AG, CRIF AG and Certifaction AG – about the nomination was correspondingly great: Manuel Zollikofer, CRIF AG, Benoit Henry, Certifaction AG and Martin Honegger, Intrum AG, are themselves unanimously: “The nomination is valuable recognition. It confirms to us that with CreditTrust we have created a radical innovation that the market has been waiting for. ” The founders and innovators are well aware of the real estate industry’s difficulties with the debt enforcement extract: “We are proud to have set a new digital standard together. CreditTrust has not simply replaced the debt enforcement register extract. The digital certificate is many times more secure, more meaningful and more digital than a conventional debt collection register extract. “

A large market is open to the reliable, digital certificate
The CreditTrust certificate entered the market with great success. It is to be expected that the digital certificate will soon completely replace the conventional debt enforcement register extract due to its qualities and advantages. In view of the 3.2 million debt enforcement register extracts ordered annually in Switzerland for a variety of purposes, the predicate ‘radical innovation’ for CreditTrust does not only apply to its effect in the real estate industry.

August 2021
With a click of the mouse to the building application

For around three years now, the canton of Aargau has enabled the digital submission of building applications with “eBau”. The Department of Construction, Transport and Environment is implementing this digitization step as part of the federal and cantonal eGov strategy. The advantages are obvious: "The entire building permit process from the applicant to the municipality to the canton can be processed electronically," explains Reto Käch, Head of Support and Training eBau, from the Department of Construction, Transport and Environment of the Canton of Aargau. The use of such online services enables efficient and less personnel-intensive processes, leaner work organization, more transparency and better networking of those involved.
As of today, a total of 22 municipalities are connected to eBau Aargau. "With the step-by-step roll-out and the training courses, we are gradually familiarizing the communities with the digital building permit process," says Käch. The support manager explains the lack of the majority of the 213 municipalities in Aargau as follows: «50 percent work with their own construction management software. These communities have to wait until the second quarter of 2022. " From then on, the connection without media discontinuity will be possible via a specially initiated eCH interface. According to the figures, the switch to the electronic processing of building applications is still making municipalities that already meet the requirements hesitant. “Maybe some people have different priorities in the corona crisis. Some may also find it difficult to replace old processes. We do not apply any pressure. We are happy to support and train interested communities in this regard, ”says Käch.
The feedback from those involved who work with eBau has been consistently positive. “The simple structure of the online form for submitting the application is particularly impressive. Mandatory fields prevent something from being forgotten when entering it. The time lost is significantly reduced, ”says Käch. And the municipalities also benefit: “In the eGov area, the standardized work processes are particularly valued. The successive work steps lead successively through the process. This means that administrative employees without specific industry knowledge can also process a building application. " Less administrative effort, better data quality and paperless work are the greatest trump cards for administrations.
A topic that concerns all cantons
Municipalities that are introducing eBau will only work electronically from this date. "Only a few applicants submit their applications in physical form," explains Käch. In such a case, the application would then be digitized by the administration. According to the eGov strategy, eBau Aargau should bring added value for everyone and save costs, as the administrative effort is reduced. The first cantons are already making it possible to publish a project that is subject to publication online. According to Käch, the current law does not take a position on digitization. "The Administrative Law Maintenance Act (VRPG) of the canton of Aargau only regulates when a public publication is required, how long and with what content the construction project has to be publicly published and who is to be informed in which publication medium," explains the trainer.
The canton of Lucerne, for example, handles the digital edition as follows: The municipalities have to make the application form with all attachments available for inspection on the Internet during the public edition, if the building application was submitted electronically and the municipality has the necessary infrastructure. "We deduce from this that an online edition is possible and that there are no federal legal bases that speak against it," concludes Käch. In such a case, however, in the interests of equal treatment, citizens without internet access would have to be able to view the planning applications in the municipal office.
The canton of Aargau did not consciously assume a pioneering role in the electronic submission of building applications. "Today all the cantons are concerned with implementing software, web applications or platforms that support the electronic submission of building applications," Käch is convinced. And adds: "It is a sign of the times that this issue is being dealt with across Switzerland." Architects, surveying and engineering offices as well as specialist planners have been working with 2D drawings, accessible 3D models, photo-realistic visualizations or digital building and terrain modeling for decades. "With the electronic building permit process, the basic understanding is changing from an administration-oriented service to a customer-oriented one," says Käch.
Last but not least, the corona pandemic makes it clear once again how important advancing digitization is: “During the lockdown, part of the administrative workforce was also sent to the home office. One of the challenges was not the organization around the equipment, but the fact that many dossiers in the administrations are only available in physical form, ”explains Käch. Customers also increasingly switched to digital channels: "The challenges that Covid-19 brings with it could turn out to be an opportunity for increased acceptance of digital administration over the long term."
The investment costs for the development of eBau were borne by the canton. There are no initial costs for municipalities that want to work with the digital solution. Operation, data archiving and support are paid for with an annual flat rate. The total costs for the application add up to a total of 50,000 francs per year. This amount is divided among the user communities. If all Aargau municipalities were to use eBau, this would result in a marginal contribution per year and municipality. The first three years of operation (2018-2020) were pre-financed by the canton.

July 2021
Strabag operates completely digitally in Küsnacht

The construction company Strabag Switzerland has been awarded the contract for the renovation of a road section in difficult terrain in the municipality of Küsnacht as well as the renewal of the gas, water and electrical lines of the local electricity supplier Werke am Zürichsee AG . According to the media release , the project will be digitally controlled from planning through construction to subsequent maintenance. For this purpose, so-called Building Information Modeling (BIM) is used. Strabag AG has been awarded the contract as general contractor. The start of construction is scheduled for the end of August and completion around October 2022, according to the announcement.

The renovation project of the municipality of Küsnacht on the upper part of the Schiedhaldensteig is considered difficult. There, on the one hand, the renovation work has to be done in a very narrow and steep traffic area and, on the other hand, the sewerage pipes have to be replaced.

BIM manager Stijepan Ljubicic from Strabag is quoted as saying that, on the one hand, “the construction site will be handled completely digitally” with regard to the use of BIM in the planning and implementation of the two construction projects. In addition to planning and execution, all work would be digitally documented and ultimately handed over to the client in a so-called as-built model. This data offers many advantages with regard to quality management, operation and maintenance as well as a planning basis for follow-up projects.

The technical division manager for traffic route construction east at Strabag, Michael Graber, is quoted as saying that one of the main criteria for the award was the company's digital performance. The contract confirms Strabag's own competence and specialist knowledge in the field of BIM.

The press release also gives facts about the construction. The excavation will make up 1,500 cubic meters, 240 meters of raw material will be laid. The road is being built over a distance of 750 meters, using 500 tons of rolled asphalt.

July 2021
Swisstopo data can now be accessed free of charge

All digital standard products from swisstopo are now available free of charge. The Federal Office for Topography wants to enable digital maps, aerial photographs, landscape models and geological vector data to be "used, distributed and reused". This also includes commercial uses, as swisstopo announced in a press release .

These data were made generally accessible following a Federal Council resolution. The Federal Council is thus pursuing the goal of an even wider use of geospatial information. In addition, this opening is part of the "Strategy for Open Administrative Data in Switzerland 2019-2023".

This data should be of particular interest to engineers, architects, programmers and planners. Access to official geospatial data will also be easier for research and science, the press release said.

In this way, swisstopo could make an active contribution to innovation and economic growth and at the same time support the digital transformation in Switzerland. The files are available in machine-readable form and can easily be integrated into digital processes.

March 2021
The digitization of the co-owner assemblies
Regardless of the Corona situation, the following difficulties must be addressed and overcome, especially at STWE meetings:
- Fair communication with all stakeholders
- Compliance with legal provisions and deadlines
- High administrative effort
- Compliance with deadlines
- Creation and assignment of tasks
- Logging of the entire meeting
Digitization has also given a huge boost to solutions in this area. Accordingly, various providers are active in the market who are trying to move the analogue process into the digital world, but not all of them succeed in this with the same simplicity and slightly broad solution approach. The preselection and quality check are all the more important here. The solution from our product portfolio can be understood as plug & play due to its compatibility with various ERP formats and IT infrastructures. Due to the one-time setup and the relatively small effort, the efficiency advantages stand out even more. As soon as everything has been installed and put in place, entire processes can be digitized and comprehensively dealt with.
Hybrid, partially digitized processes are also not a problem for the solution, which is very important in view of the different willingness / IT skills of the meeting participants. In this way, all of the above difficulties can be addressed and resolved using one and the same software.
The bottom line is that, with the support of the simple solution, flexible STWE meetings can be carried out physically and / or digitally, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of the implementation as well as of the preparation and follow-up work. This means that the focus can be put back on the work steps where specialist and social skills are needed. In addition to the digitization of management, other digital solutions have come into focus, which can be seen at PropTechMarket.net.
You can find out more about this at: https://proptechmarket.net/solutions
March 2021
Zühlke supports Adtrac with targeted outdoor advertising

Zühlke supports the Zurich start-up Adtrac . The aim of the cooperation is the development of a platform for the targeted control, changing content and tracking of digital outdoor advertising until it is ready for the market. According to a press release, the innovation service provider from Schlieren has been at Adtrac's side right from the start with advice and support for further development. This should make the platform ready for the market in a few months.

According to the media release, the idea of Adtrac is to transfer the advantages of the digital world into the classic principle of outdoor advertising. The sensors of the advertising displays should be used to play the most relevant content for the target group in front of the displays. This means that the offer on the advertising space can be adapted precisely for these viewers and their interests based on data about the respective target group. And the customer can follow the progress of his campaign online. According to Adtrac, the web-based campaign tool is used for this. Advertisers can use it to plan their campaigns themselves at any time, follow them live, optimize them and create evaluations.

"Thanks to Zühlke's expertise and the flexible and agile cooperation, we are now there with a market-ready and convincing product," Benjamin Wey, CEO of Adtrac, is quoted as saying. Adtrac was created as a joint venture between Advertima , Fortimo and SPAR , all based in St.Gallen.

After the initial launch on the market, the platform is to be continuously developed and supplemented with new functions.

February 2021
Visualization solutions – welcome helpers in the pandemic

In order to master the challenges, digital visualization solutions can be welcome tools. A simple application as well as a quick and uncomplicated implementation are decisive for the selection. With overcrowded appointments, it is certainly not an easy task to give yourself the necessary time for this. In addition, there is an almost unmanageable number of solution providers , which make a well-founded selection difficult. From virtual inspections, to digital live tours with or without robots, to interactive 3D tours or digital twins, there are a variety of PropTech solutions that allow companies to break new ground and adapt to changing needs. If you choose the right provider , this not only leads to a new customer experience and benefits, but also brings significant increases in efficiency as well as cost and CO2 savings.
Even if the pandemic brings with it great challenges, it also offers an opportunity to go on a discovery tour and explore new ways. Find out which path will lead you into the future and get an overview of quality-tested visualization solutions for the real estate and construction industry .
Overview of visualization solutions: https://proptechmarket.net/visualisierung

January 2021
Westhive attracts digital nomads to the mountains

The Berghuus Radons is located above Savognin at an altitude of 2000 meters. Now it is also becoming a place of work for digital nomads. As Westhive reports , it is setting up a location for flexible workplaces and workshops in the mountain inn with the Westhive Retreat. “We wanted to expand the Westhive ecosystem with locations for undisturbed meetings away from day-to-day business right from the start,” Andreas Widmer, co-founder of the Zurich-based provider of community workplaces, is quoted in a press release.

From Widmer's point of view, the location is particularly suitable for strategy meetings. "Nature is incredibly inspiring, and the rooms in the Berghuus are perfect for seminars and conferences." A total of twelve rooms are available.

According to information on its website, the Berghuus will open again on December 19. However, it is already possible to reserve jobs at Westhive. Members of existing Westhive locations can register using the existing infrastructure and access the same infrastructure as at the previous locations.

Westhive opened its first location in Zurich-West in 2018. Four more have now been added, including one in Basel. Another location at Zurich Airport is to follow in the first quarter of 2021.

November 2020
Imomi lanciert Plattform für privaten Immobilienverkauf

Ab sofort offeriert die digitale Plattform imomi.ch Immobilienbesitzerinnen und -besitzern die Möglichkeit, ihr Objekt selbständig und ohne Makler zu verkaufen. „Die Digitalisierung hat bereits viele Bereiche unseres Lebens vereinfacht. Nun wird es Zeit, die generell träge Immobilienbranche zu revolutionieren“, wird CEO und Mitgründer Nicholas J. Arthur in einer Medienmitteilung des Basler Start-ups Imomi zitiert.

Oft fehle es an Erfahrung und Zeit, sich selbst um den Verkauf zu kümmern. So sähen sich Verkaufswillige häufig gezwungen, Maklerkommissionen bis 3 Prozent in Kauf zu nehmen, heisst es dort weiter. Bei der Eigenvermarktung über imomi.ch zahle der Kunde erst bei erfolgreichem Abschluss 0,9 Prozent des Verkaufspreises.

Für die sichere und effiziente Abwicklung des Verkaufsprozesses bietet Imomi eine unabhängige und kostenlose Schätzung des Werts einer Immobilie und eine professionelle Dokumentation. Diese beinhaltet das Erstellen eines virtuellen Hauses mit 3D-Rundgängen sowie professionelle Fotos und Drohnenaufnahmen. Eine entsprechende Annonce wird schweizweit in die relevantesten Immobilienplattformen eingestellt. Die Sicherheit eines professionellen Vertragswerks sei durch fachkundige Notare gewährt.

October 2020