Swiss building data. Open by default. Open in practice.
OpenBuildings is a no build, vanilla JS web application developed and maintained by the Department for Digital Real Estate at the Federal Office of Buildings and Logistics (FOBL / BBL). While primarily supporting internal federal needs, the project is openly published to enable reuse, transparency, and collaboration beyond organizational boundaries.
Important: The Federal Office does not own the underlying data and cannot guarantee its correctness. We aggregate, harmonize, and link data from official sources. For authoritative datasets, see opendata.swiss or our documentation.
OpenBuildings brings together publicly available building data from multiple sources and aligns it into a single, consistent reference layer. The goal is not to replace existing registers but to make building data usable in practice across organizational and system boundaries.
Live demo: https://davras5.github.io/OpenBuildings/
OpenBuildings is an open building data foundation for Switzerland. It provides a harmonized dataset and structure that:
- Combines building-related information from multiple public sources
- Aligns schemas, identifiers, and attributes where possible
- Enables comparison, enrichment, and integration across datasets
OpenBuildings is not:
- An official or legally authoritative building register
- A replacement for cantonal or municipal source systems
- A single “source of truth” for regulatory or legal decisions
- A closed or proprietary platform
Instead, it complements existing registers by improving interoperability and practical reuse while remaining open, transparent, and extensible.
- Open by default — data, methods, assumptions
- Reproducible — same inputs, same outputs
- Interoperable — standards-based, tool-agnostic
- Infrastructure-first — long-lived, not project-bound
OpenBuildings is built entirely on publicly available data from authoritative sources. All original licensing conditions are respected and documented.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Frontend | Single page Vanilla JS + MapLibre GL JS and Protomaps to visualize geospatial data |
| Backend | PostgreSQL + PostGIS with REST API (Supabase) |
| Data Processing Tools | Python, SQL & FME workers for data enrichment |
flowchart BT
FE[GitHub Pages - Vanilla JS & MapLibre Frontend]
SUPABASE[Supabase - Postgres & PostGIS & API]
EDGE[Supabase Edge Functions - Vector Tiles]
TOOLS[Python / SQL / FME Workers]
DATASRC[Swiss OGD Data Sources]
SUPABASE --> FE
EDGE --> FE
SUPABASE --> EDGE
TOOLS <--> SUPABASE
DATASRC --> TOOLS
OpenBuildings provides modular tools for data processing.
| Tool | Status | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Base Worker | Available | Aggregates core data like IDs, geometry, and measurements |
| Volume Estimator | Available | Calculates building volumes from terrain & surface models |
| Roof Estimator | In development | Derives roof characteristics |
| Biodiversity | Idea | Biodiversity index per parcel and Green roof potential |
| Carbon Risks | Idea | Location data for carbon risk assessment |
| Environmental Risks | Idea | Location data for environmental risk assessment |
See each tool's README for full details: tools
Full schema: documentation/DATAMODEL.md
OpenBuildings aggregates Swiss Open Government Data into four core entities:
erDiagram
parcels ||--o{ buildings : contains
buildings ||--o| landcovers : has
parcels ||--o{ landcovers : contains
buildings ||--o{ projects : has
parcels ||--o{ projects : contains
| Entity | Description | Master System / Source |
|---|---|---|
| Parcels | Land parcels with IDs, area, zoning, footprint | Cantonal cadastral registers (AV) |
| Buildings | Buildings with addresses, geometry, volume, heritage, energy info | AV / GWR (BFS) |
| Landcovers | Landcover classification and areas per parcel/building | AV / swissSURFACE3D |
| Projects | Building-related projects or initiatives | GWR (BFS) / derived |
Primary access via the Federal Spatial Data Infrastructure (FSDI) / geo.admin.ch.
| Source | Provider | Content | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| GWR | BFS | Building attributes & addresses | OGD |
| Geodienste.ch / AV | Cantons | Parcels, footprints, landcover | OGD / CC BY |
| swissALTI3D | swisstopo | Terrain model (DTM) | OGD |
| swissSURFACE3D | swisstopo | Surface model (DSM) | OGD |
| swissBUILDINGS3D | swisstopo | 3D building models | OGD |
| Bauzonen | ARE | Zoning | OGD |
| KGS Inventar | BABS | Heritage protection | OGD |
All sources are Swiss Open Government Data — free for commercial and non-commercial use with attribution.
→ Detailed licensing & attribution: documentation/DATAMODEL.md
When using OpenBuildings data, please credit:
Datenquellen: BFS (GWR), © swisstopo, Amtliche Vermessung via geodienste.ch, ARE, BABS
OpenBuildings/
├── documentation/
├── tools/
│ ├── volume-estimator/
│ ├── roof-estimator/
│ └── base-worker/
├── images/
├── index.html
└── LICENSE
MIT License — see LICENSE
Building data is a public good. OpenBuildings turns that principle into infrastructure.