Sustainable Real Estate Management as a Driver of Urban Resilience - Wincasa

Beyond the Brick: How Data and Community Build Urban Resilience

A building may only be constructed once, but it is operated every single day. This simple yet powerful fact underlined the essence of the first presentation at the connectUS seminar in Switzerland at FHNW, where Wincasa unveiled their vision for the future of Swiss real estate. The message was clear: sustainable management is not an incidental issue, but rather the key to creating cities that are economically stable, socially inclusive, climate-adaptive and energy-efficient. The focus is shifting from the initial construction towards the decades of daily operation that truly define a building’s impact.

Shifting from Global to Local Precision

For years, the real estate industry has been chasing global benchmarks to demonstrate its sustainability performance. While these frameworks brought transparency, they often remained abstract. Miryam Sohm highlighted a strategic change of direction: while frameworks such as GRESB remain important, the future lies in actionable, local data. Wincasa is therefore focusing on Swiss-specific standards such as REIDA to improve real-world performance rather than just meeting global requirements.

The reasoning is straightforward. Local standards reflect local regulations, energy systems and user behaviour far more precisely. This enables property managers to translate sustainability from reporting into operational decisions that enhance performance on the ground.

Data as the Backbone of Urban Resilience

In today's world, operational efficiency has emerged as the most powerful tool. As Nele Keshishian demonstrated, energy data is the true “backbone of urban resilience.” By utilising AI-driven tools such as CO2lect, property managers can transition from reactive invoice management to predictive optimisation. Rather than explaining costs after the event, risks can be identified early, inefficiencies corrected proactively and emissions reduced systematically. In a volatile energy landscape, this shift from reaction to anticipation is crucial.

The social “hard” fact

Perhaps the most intriguing insight came from Corina Salomon: social sustainability is often dismissed as a “soft” factor, yet it has very tangible economic consequences.

-        Risk reduction: Stable communities reduce vacancy risks, conflict, and reputational damage.

-        Asset performance: Social quality directly influences the long-term value and attractiveness of a property.

-        Measurable impact: Social sustainability is also about data. Wincasa now tracks over 50 KPIs to generate detailed social reports for individual properties.

From organising neighbourhood pop-up events in Winterthur to structured tenant onboarding in Regensdorf, the objective is clear: to transform buildings into living ecosystems that foster connection and long-term stability.

The Verdict

The cities of tomorrow will not be defined solely by their skyline, but by their resilience in everyday operation. Whether through the precision of an AI-based energy monitor or the simple act of holding a community barbecue, the message is clear: to remain functional, competitive and liveable, we must continuously adapt at a local level.

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