Analysis tool for the densification potentials of buildings
The efficient use of land and building stock shifts construction activity to existing, well-developed residential areas. A new analysis tool identifies and visualises their densification potential.
Factsheet
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Schools involved
School of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering
School of Engineering and Computer Science - Institute(s) Institute for Urbanism, Architecture and Construction ISAK
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Research unit(s)
IDAS / Business Information Systems Engineering (BISE)
Urban Transformation group FGUT - Funding organisation Innosuisse
- Duration 01.04.2019 - 31.10.2021
- Head of project Prof. William Fuhrer
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Project staff
Dimitry Demin
Christoph Schaller
Jürg Bührer
Prof. Dr. Joachim Huber
Andreas Bachmann
Marcel Abegglen
Angela von Däniken - Partner Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft
- Keywords Architecture, sustainable urban development, sustainable renovation, parametric architecture, data-based analysis tools, algorithms, decision support tool
Situation
The efficient use of land and building stock as a valuable resource shifts construction activity from greenfield sites to existing residential areas. The situation is fuelled by the volatile real estate market and the economic risk it represents, and the rise of residential property prices. This calls for broad-based, sustainable solutions. Out of this context unfolds the focus for sustainable new construction on existing housing stock and the redensification of existing structures. Large-scale user densification within existing built-up areas is to be promoted and achieved by activating the structural densification potential of properties. Mobilising ownerships plays a key role in this. By linking up with Raiffeisen’s homeowners advisory services and the associated investments in the building stock, the AnaVis project makes a promising contribution to the economic and sustainable renewal, supplementation and densification of the Swiss building stock.
Course of action
Within the framework of the Innosuisse project AnaVis, a process and prototype of a “decision support tool” for the analysis of densification potential of real estate has been developed. AnaVis identifies and visualises the structural densification potential and enables an extended view of properties with financial and market aspects. This provided an early, simple basis for obtaining information and a decision-making aid for the strategic handling of real estate. In order to identify the structural densification potential of the properties, a parameterised procedure was developed to calculate the effective structural potential. The basis is a digital, three-dimensional spatial model of the building stock, which is linked with building code parameters and can thus depict the delta between actually built and potentially buildable. An algorithmic application allows, detached from the input of structural geometries, a comprehensive and fully automated calculation and visualisation of the effective, structural densification potential.
Result
The result is a prototype, the front-end of which was developed for use in consulting sessions along a specially created storyboard and using suitable UX/UI technologies. By linking up with Raiffeisen’s homeowners consulting services, customers can in future be shown a global picture of the potential of their properties. Moreover, appropriate scenarios can be simulated, leading to broad-based decisions and promoting sustainable renewal, expansion and densification strategies and investments in the real estate and homeownership market.
