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Gams: observed built density

Municipality in the canton of St. Gallen · FSO no. 3272 · Parcel data as of July 2025

Parcels
2’204

1 % of the canton

Municipal zones
22
Median utilization
40 %

Canton: 58 %

Switzerland: 10 %

Median GFZ
0.09

Canton: 0.28

Switzerland: 0.09

Median height
9.3 m

Canton: 9.6 m

Switzerland: 9.5 m

Median floors
2.1

Canton: 2.4

Switzerland: 2.3

About Gams

Gams is a municipality in the canton of St. Gallen. The parcel data lists 2’204 parcels in 22 municipal zone types. The zone types with the most parcels are BauG Landwirtschaftszone (713), BauG Wohnzone W2 (597) and BauG Kernzone K3 (139).

The median parcel is built to a volume utilization of 40 %; half of the parcels lie between 6 % and 97 %. The canton median is 58 %, so Gams sits below it.

The median building height is 9.3 m at 2.1 floors, and the median floor-area ratio (GFZ) is 0.09. Parcels built in the last 20 years reach a mean volume utilization of 127 % (291 parcels), higher than the 81 % across all building years.

Parcels by municipal zone

Municipal zone types with their parcel count and median volume utilization
ZoneParcelsMedian utilization
BauG Landwirtschaftszone7138 %
BauG Wohnzone W259781 %
BauG Kernzone K313998 %
BauG übriges Gemeindegebiet allg970 %
BauG Wohn-Gewerbezone WG38574 %
Hinweis.Wald830 %
Hinweis.Verkehrsflaeche iB780 %
BauG Wohn-Gewerbezone WG26483 %
BauG Kernzone K45494 %
BauG Wohnzone W2a4793 %
Hinweis.Verkehrsflaeche aB470 %
BauG Grünzone Naturschutz430 %
Other zones (10)157-

Volume utilization (ratioV)

Of the 2’179 parcels with a value, half lie between 6 % and 97 %. The median is 40 % and the mean 75 %.

0 %300 %+

Share of parcels by range

  • below 50 %53 %
  • 50 % to below 100 %23 %
  • 100 % to below 150 %14 %
  • 150 % and above10 %

Floor-area ratio (GFZ)

Of the 2’179 parcels with a value, half lie between 0.05 and 0.44. The median is 0.09 and the mean 0.24.

0.003.00+

Share of parcels by range

  • below 0.5081 %
  • 0.50 to below 1.0016 %
  • 1.00 to below 1.502 %
  • 1.50 and above< 1 %

Building height

Of the 1’286 parcels with a value, half lie between 8.0 m and 10.7 m. The median is 9.3 m and the mean 9.3 m.

0 m60 m+

Share of parcels by range

  • below 8 m25 %
  • 8 m to below 12 m67 %
  • 12 m to below 20 m8 %
  • 20 m and above0 %

Number of floors

Of the 852 parcels with a value, half lie between 1.7 and 2.7. The median is 2.1 and the mean 2.2.

016+

Share of parcels by range

  • below 213 %
  • 2 to below 359 %
  • 3 to below 528 %
  • 5 and above< 1 %

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 inParcelsMean utilization
All years2’20481 %
Last 60 years855119 %
Last 40 years628119 %
Last 20 years291127 %
Last 15 years221133 %
Last 10 years124124 %
Last 5 years50114 %

Open the map at Gams

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).