Lausanne: observed built density
Municipality in the canton of Vaud · FSO no. 5586 · Parcel data as of July 2025
- Parcels
- 10’311
4 % of the canton
- Municipal zones
- 22
- Median utilization
- 55 %
Canton: 9 %
Switzerland: 10 %
- Median GFZ
- 0.55
Canton: 0.09
Switzerland: 0.09
- Median height
- -
Canton: -
Switzerland: 9.5 m
- Median floors
- 4.1
Canton: 2.4
Switzerland: 2.3
About Lausanne
Lausanne is a municipality in the canton of Vaud. The parcel data lists 10’311 parcels in 22 municipal zone types. The zone types with the most parcels are Zone d'habitation de forte densité 15 LAT (3’898), Zone d'habitation de faible densité 15 LAT (1’776) and Zone d'habitation de moyenne densité 15 LAT (1’754).
The median parcel is built to a volume utilization of 55 %; half of the parcels lie between 9 % and 106 %. The canton median is 9 %, so Lausanne sits above it.
Parcels built in the last 20 years reach a mean volume utilization of 140 % (725 parcels), higher than the 129 % across all building years.
Parcels by municipal zone
| Zone | Parcels | Median utilization |
|---|---|---|
| Zone d'habitation de forte densité 15 LAT | 3’898 | 65 % |
| Zone d'habitation de faible densité 15 LAT | 1’776 | 72 % |
| Zone d'habitation de moyenne densité 15 LAT | 1’754 | 53 % |
| Zone de desserte 15 LAT | 709 | 0 % |
| Zone affectée à des besoins publics 15 LAT | 389 | 47 % |
| Zone centrale 15 LAT | 358 | 106 % |
| Zone d'habitation de très faible densité 15 LAT | 347 | 79 % |
| Aire forestière 18 LAT | 321 | 0 % |
| Zone agricole 16 LAT | 208 | 0 % |
| Zone de verdure 15 LAT | 183 | 0 % |
| Zone d'activités économiques 15 LAT | 172 | 60 % |
| Zone intermédiaire 18 LAT | 71 | 0 % |
| Other zones (10) | 125 | - |
Volume utilization (ratioV)
Of the 10’244 parcels with a value, half lie between 9 % and 106 %. The median is 55 % and the mean 114 %.
Share of parcels by range
- below 50 %47 %
- 50 % to below 100 %26 %
- 100 % to below 150 %13 %
- 150 % and above14 %
Floor-area ratio (GFZ)
Of the 10’243 parcels with a value, half lie between 0.09 and 1.63. The median is 0.55 and the mean 1.25.
Share of parcels by range
- below 0.5048 %
- 0.50 to below 1.0015 %
- 1.00 to below 1.5010 %
- 1.50 and above27 %
Building height
The parcel data has too few values for this measure here.
Number of floors
Of the 6’087 parcels with a value, half lie between 2.7 and 5.7. The median is 4.1 and the mean 4.3.
Share of parcels by range
- below 23 %
- 2 to below 318 %
- 3 to below 536 %
- 5 and above43 %
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 | 10’311 | 129 % |
| Last 60 years | 2’277 | 168 % |
| Last 40 years | 1’301 | 144 % |
| Last 20 years | 725 | 140 % |
| Last 15 years | 513 | 150 % |
| Last 10 years | 329 | 141 % |
| Last 5 years | 132 | 146 % |
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).