Sarnen: observed built density
Municipality in the canton of Obwalden · FSO no. 1407 · Parcel data as of July 2025
- Parcels
- 4’001
23 % of the canton
- Municipal zones
- 36
- Median utilization
- 52 %
Canton: 42 %
Switzerland: 10 %
- Median GFZ
- 0.15
Canton: 0.10
Switzerland: 0.09
- Median height
- -
Canton: -
Switzerland: 9.5 m
- Median floors
- 2.4
Canton: 2.3
Switzerland: 2.3
About Sarnen
Sarnen is a municipality in the canton of Obwalden. The parcel data lists 4’001 parcels in 36 municipal zone types. The zone types with the most parcels are Landwirtschaftszone (1’280), Zweigeschossige Wohnzone B (626) and Zweigeschossige Wohnzone A (457).
The median parcel is built to a volume utilization of 52 %; half of the parcels lie between 7 % and 113 %. The canton median is 42 %, so Sarnen sits above it.
Parcels built in the last 20 years reach a mean volume utilization of 162 % (537 parcels), higher than the 112 % across all building years.
Parcels by municipal zone
| Zone | Parcels | Median utilization |
|---|---|---|
| Landwirtschaftszone | 1’280 | 21 % |
| Zweigeschossige Wohnzone B | 626 | 83 % |
| Zweigeschossige Wohnzone A | 457 | 93 % |
| Wald | 247 | 0 % |
| Übriges Gebiet | 224 | 0 % |
| Dreigeschossige Wohnzone A | 183 | 66 % |
| Kernzone Dorf Sarnen | 167 | 71 % |
| Dreigeschossige Gewerbe- und Wohnzone | 135 | 74 % |
| Zone für öffentliche Bauten und Anlagen | 95 | 87 % |
| Dreigeschossige Wohnzone B | 71 | 97 % |
| Dorfzone | 70 | 79 % |
| Grünzone | 65 | 13 % |
| Other zones (24) | 381 | - |
Volume utilization (ratioV)
Of the 3’953 parcels with a value, half lie between 7 % and 113 %. The median is 52 % and the mean 98 %.
Share of parcels by range
- below 50 %49 %
- 50 % to below 100 %22 %
- 100 % to below 150 %14 %
- 150 % and above16 %
Floor-area ratio (GFZ)
Of the 3’953 parcels with a value, half lie between 0.05 and 0.54. The median is 0.15 and the mean 0.35.
Share of parcels by range
- below 0.5073 %
- 0.50 to below 1.0019 %
- 1.00 to below 1.505 %
- 1.50 and above4 %
Building height
The parcel data has too few values for this measure here.
Number of floors
Of the 1’903 parcels with a value, half lie between 1.8 and 3.1. The median is 2.4 and the mean 2.5.
Share of parcels by range
- below 215 %
- 2 to below 340 %
- 3 to below 541 %
- 5 and above4 %
Building age cohorts
Mean volume utilization of the parcels built inside each window, from all years on record down to the last five. The windows overlap: the last 20 years include the last 5.
| Built in | Parcels | Mean utilization |
|---|---|---|
| All years | 4’001 | 112 % |
| Last 60 years | 1’794 | 149 % |
| Last 40 years | 1’211 | 136 % |
| Last 20 years | 537 | 162 % |
| Last 15 years | 380 | 181 % |
| Last 10 years | 245 | 193 % |
| Last 5 years | 104 | 174 % |
How to read this page
room shows observed built density: what has been built on the parcels, not what the zoning permits. Volume utilization (ratioV) compares the built volume of a parcel with the reference volume of its municipal zone type. The floor-area ratio (GFZ) is floor area divided by parcel area; building height and number of floors are taken from the buildings on a parcel. Figures pool all municipal zones of the area. Medians and quartiles are read from bins 10 points (ratioV), 0.1 (GFZ), 2 m (height) and 1 floor wide, so they are exact to within one bin; means are exact. A parcel counts in a distribution only when the parcel data has a value for it. The floors distribution leaves out parcels without a building (0 floors).