SNBS Bestand und Betrieb: How NORM connects assessment and building digitalization

A new standard for existing buildings

The Swiss real estate industry has known the “Standard for Sustainable Building Switzerland” (SNBS) for years as an important reference for new constructions. What has been missing so far was an equivalent instrument for existing buildings. This gap is now being closed.

The new SNBS Bestand und Betrieb was developed by the Network for Sustainable Building Switzerland (NNBS) and tested in a broad pilot phase. It adopts the structure and logic of the proven SNBS Building Construction standard but specifically aligns the requirements with existing properties and their operation.

Why this is becoming relevant now

For institutional owners, portfolio managers, and sustainability professionals, pressure is increasing on multiple fronts: regulatory requirements such as CO₂ legislation are tightening, and investors are demanding transparency regarding the sustainability status of their portfolios.

The SNBS Existing Buildings standard provides a standardized assessment framework for the first time. Especially in portfolios with many properties, it becomes a key instrument for comparability and strategic decision-making.

What does SNBS Bestand assess?

In contrast to SNBS Building Construction, which accompanies the planning and construction process, SNBS Bestand evaluates the current condition of a property. It considers the three dimensions of sustainability equally:

Society: How user-friendly, accessible, and healthy is the building?

Economy: How efficient are operations, investments, and value retention?

Environment: How energy-efficient is the building, what are the CO₂ emissions, and how resource-efficient is it?

SNBS Existing Buildings is therefore not just a label with scores, but a tool to systematically identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for action within existing assets.

How NORM implements SNBS Bestand und Betrieb

From assessment to a structured data foundation

SNBS Bestand creates transparency about the current condition of a property. NORM goes one step further: we do not conduct the assessment as an isolated analysis, but as a structured data capture and digitalization process.

Structured data capture instead of isolated reporting

A NORM building assessment systematically captures relevant information on components, systems, spaces, and conditions, and transfers it into a consistent digital building data model. An SNBS assessment is always based on this data foundation. In addition, an auditable digital building twin is created in the NORM Explorer, the central platform for technical building and sustainability data. The data is not only structured and accessible there, but can also be exported to other systems and reused as needed.

Usable for follow-up analyses and services

The key difference: the collected data does not disappear into a PDF after the assessment. It remains available as a reusable foundation, for example for CAPEX planning, decarbonization pathways, and sustainability reporting. At the same time, additional services such as GEAK Plus, condition analyses, or space classifications can be carried out more efficiently and consistently on the same data basis.

Multiple entry points, one growing data foundation

The same principle applies in reverse: whether a client starts with an SNBS assessment, a GEAK Plus, or a condition analysis, NORM builds every mandate on the same structured data foundation and continuously expands it with each additional project.

In short: structured data makes follow-up services and analyses faster, more cost-effective, and better.

Interested in a demo?

SNBS Bestand is more than a new standard. When implemented properly, it becomes the entry point to a robust building data foundation for portfolio steering, investment planning, and reporting.

If you would like to see how NORM implements this approach in practice, Alex Zimmermann would be happy to connect.