immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Ursina Kubli

  • Build faster – thanks to virtual reality

    Build faster – thanks to virtual reality

    One of the main reasons for the decline in construction activity is the complex and lengthy approval procedures. According to the ZKB study, it takes an average of 140 days from planning application to building permit in the country, which is 67 percent more than in 2010. It takes even longer in densely populated areas in particular: 500 days in the canton of Geneva and 330 days in the canton of Zurich, with this figure more than doubling since 2010. The increase in appeals and objections also lead to delays and blocked projects.

    To solve these problems, the globally unique virtual reality (VR) solution from the Swiss PropTech company HEGIAS helps. Communication between the various stakeholders is improved through the use of VR, as all parties involved see and thus understand the same thing. Also, the imagination is less challenged by the authorities, and thus more correct urban planning decisions can be made.

    Build faster, cheaper and more sustainably
    With the immersive solution, complex approval procedures can be reduced, as authorities and politicians can view the planned buildings from any perspective and at any time of day throughout the year in a realistic VR environment. This saves time, money and reduces the need for expensive and environmentally harmful façade samples or elaborate physical architectural models as well as 1:1 mock-ups.

    HEGIAS VR also facilitates and speeds up the assessment of listed buildings, as for example HEGIAS VR was successfully used by Implenia in the Lokstadt in Winterthur. The VR models can also show neighbours how shadows cast or the position of the sun would affect their property at any time of day throughout the year. VR thus enables faster, cheaper and more sustainable construction.

    More info: www.hegias.com

  • Homeownership prices are rising sharply

    Homeownership prices are rising sharply

    In 2020, home ownership prices rose by 5 percent across Switzerland and by 4 percent in the canton of Zurich. Ursina Kubli, Head of Real Estate Research at Zürcher Kantonalbank ( ZKB ), sees one reason for this in the low mortgage interest rates. They are an important financial incentive to buy your own home, she is quoted in a ZKB press release , which summarizes the current issue of the ZKB specialist magazine " Immobilien aktuell ". On the other hand, the supply is scarce, "because the construction industry is still concentrating on rental apartments, while many older people willing to sell are hesitant to sell them." And thirdly, the personal living situation has become increasingly important in the pandemic.

    Despite the precarious economic situation and the corresponding uncertain prospects for the labor market, there are still many willing to buy when there is a shortage of supply. This allows the conclusion that the wage segments relevant for the home sector have so far been little affected by the economic slowdown.

    Because people over the age of 60 currently own more than half of all single-family houses and condominiums and even more than 80 percent of multi-family houses in the canton of Zurich, the ZKB expects an additional supply on the real estate market in the coming years and decades. Gaining more living space by reallocating vacant office space is attractive, but often proves to be a "resinous niche strategy" due to regulatory hurdles.

    As a result of the pandemic, the micro-location of a property is becoming increasingly important. Sunlight is one of the most important factors. Thanks to extensive computing power at 100 million geographical points, the ZKB real estate research team succeeded for the first time in evaluating the actual duration of sunshine at a wide variety of places. One result: the city of Zurich is clearly surpassed by other Swiss cities in the winter months.