Zurich, 9 March 2026. Despite rapid technological advances, the digital breakthrough in the construction and real estate industry has yet to happen. This has been shown by the new Digital Real Estate & Construction Study by pom+. Although digitalisation is increasingly being recognised as a strategic management topic, in reality it is often reduced to efficiency and cost targets.
Since 2016, pom+Consulting AG has been measuring the digital maturity of the construction and real estate industry in Switzerland and German-speaking countries as part of its Digital Real Estate & Construction Study. The Digital Real Estate Index is based on the assessments of around 200 specialists and executives and highlights where the industry currently stands on its path to digitalisation.
The degree of digitalisation in the construction and real estate industry currently stands at 4.3 points on a scale of 1 to 10. Compared to the previous year, this represents a slight recovery: in 2025, the score was 4.0 points.
Previously included in the study, the Digital Construction and Manufacturing Index (DCM-i) was surveyed and reported separately for the first time in 2026 in collaboration with bauen digital Schweiz and buildingSMART Switzerland. With a score of 4.0 points, the construction industry ranks below real estate management (4.6 points), thereby influencing the overall score accordingly. An in-depth interpretation of the results is provided in a separate white paper by buildingSMART Switzerland.
AI as a driver of digital transformation
The digital divide between large and small companies, which was significant in previous years, has narrowed noticeably by 2026. Nearly all company sizes have been able to increase their digital maturity. Small companies in particular have caught up by up to 0.9 points compared to the previous year.
The differences in digital maturity are also increasingly levelling out within individual roles. Particularly noteworthy are property managers, who achieved the highest score since the survey was launched, at 4.4 points. ‘In addition to ongoing margin pressure and ongoing market consolidation, increasing automation of routine tasks, possibly supported by AI, is also likely to contribute to improving digital maturity,’ says Isabel Gehrer, Head of Future Lab and study director.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to rank among the most frequently used technologies, alongside platforms and portals and data analytics. However, the assessment of AI is more nuanced than in the previous year: currently, around two-thirds of respondents see significant benefits, compared to 75 per cent in the last survey. At the same time, AI is the only one of the twelve technologies examined to show significant progress in the hype cycle.
Digitalisation as an executive priority
The study clearly shows why the digital maturity of the real estate industry is only increasing slowly despite years of initiatives. Digitalisation is still primarily understood as a technological issue rather than an organisational and management task. Accordingly, investments and costs are perceived as obstacles much more frequently than cultural or structural factors. More than two-thirds of respondents do not see existing corporate structures or strategic orientation as a relevant hurdle to the further development of their digital maturity. More than half of respondents also consider the shortage of qualified staff to be a minor obstacle or no obstacle at all.
At the same time, a look at responsibilities reveals an interesting picture: in 56 per cent of the companies surveyed, senior management acts as the central driver of digital transformation. The core business is also playing an increasingly active role in implementation. ‘The results show that although digitalisation is formally anchored as a management task, in practice it is often reduced to efficiency and cost targets,’ says Isabel Gehrer. ‘As long as digital transformation is not consistently understood as a management, organisational and cultural issue, its strategic potential will remain limited.’
About the study
Since 2016, the Digital Real Estate Survey has been assessing the state of digital transformation in the construction and real estate industry in Switzerland on an annual basis, extending to Germany in 2019. The study presents the current situation in both countries based on the assessments of various managers and specialists from the industry, supplemented by the expert knowledge of consultants from pom+Consulting Ltd. In 2026, in collaboration with bauen digital Schweiz / buildingSMART, the digital maturity level for the construction industry was surveyed separately for the first time and compared with real estate management. The digital maturity level of the construction industry is discussed in detail in a separate white paper by buildingSMART Switzerland.
Another new feature is the interactive dashboard, which is available from this year onwards. It enables a direct comparison of results from previous studies.
pom+Consulting Ltd.
pom+ is a Swiss consulting company that provides services for real estate, infrastructure, companies and organizations in the fields of construction, facility, property, portfolio and asset management. Core competencies of pom+ include performance measurement, strategy development, resource optimization, sustainability consultancy, technology deployment as well as digitalization strategies and digital solutions whereby life cycle assessment always plays a key role in all operations. More than 130 employees, most with degrees from universities and higher institutions, impress with specialist knowledge, in-depth experience and know-how from around 8,000 projects.
pom+ was founded as a spin-off of the ETH Zurich in 1996. While still headquartered in Zurich, the company today has offices in Basel, Bern, Lausanne, St. Gallen, Frankfurt and Berlin and has been advising over 800 clients in Switzerland and abroad. www.pom.ch
Media contact
pom+Consulting Ltd.
Daniel Bruckhoff, Head of Marketing & Sales
Limmatstrasse 214, 8005 Zurich
Phone +41 44 200 42 00
daniel.bruckhoff@pom.ch, www.pom.ch