Winterthur: observed built density
Municipality in the canton of Zurich · FSO no. 230 · Parcel data as of July 2025
- Parcels
- 21’729
6 % of the canton
- Municipal zones
- 38
- Median utilization
- 73 %
Canton: 40 %
Switzerland: 10 %
- Median GFZ
- 0.49
Canton: 0.22
Switzerland: 0.09
- Median height
- 10.8 m
Canton: 10.5 m
Switzerland: 9.5 m
- Median floors
- 2.9
Canton: 2.8
Switzerland: 2.3
About Winterthur
Winterthur is a municipality in the canton of Zurich. The parcel data lists 21’729 parcels in 38 municipal zone types. The zone types with the most parcels are W2/2.0 (5’834), W3/2.6 (2’535) and Kantonale Landwirtschaftszone (1’994).
The median parcel is built to a volume utilization of 73 %; half of the parcels lie between 8 % and 112 %. The canton median is 40 %, so Winterthur sits above it.
The median building height is 10.8 m at 2.9 floors, and the median floor-area ratio (GFZ) is 0.49. Parcels built in the last 20 years reach a mean volume utilization of 122 % (2’202 parcels), higher than the 102 % across all building years.
Parcels by municipal zone
| Zone | Parcels | Median utilization |
|---|---|---|
| W2/2.0 | 5’834 | 85 % |
| W3/2.6 | 2’535 | 90 % |
| Kantonale Landwirtschaftszone | 1’994 | 0 % |
| W2/1.2 | 1’807 | 77 % |
| KIII | 1’441 | 92 % |
| Wa | 958 | 0 % |
| W4/3.4 | 800 | 83 % |
| QEZ3 | 785 | 86 % |
| W2/1.6 | 639 | 86 % |
| W4G | 607 | 88 % |
| W3G | 570 | 90 % |
| KI | 488 | 154 % |
| Other zones (26) | 3’271 | - |
Volume utilization (ratioV)
Of the 21’601 parcels with a value, half lie between 8 % and 112 %. The median is 73 % and the mean 93 %.
Share of parcels by range
- below 50 %39 %
- 50 % to below 100 %30 %
- 100 % to below 150 %21 %
- 150 % and above11 %
Floor-area ratio (GFZ)
Of the 21’601 parcels with a value, half lie between 0.07 and 0.87. The median is 0.49 and the mean 0.62.
Share of parcels by range
- below 0.5051 %
- 0.50 to below 1.0030 %
- 1.00 to below 1.5012 %
- 1.50 and above7 %
Building height
Of the 14’417 parcels with a value, half lie between 8.9 m and 13.1 m. The median is 10.8 m and the mean 11.3 m.
Share of parcels by range
- below 8 m13 %
- 8 m to below 12 m53 %
- 12 m to below 20 m32 %
- 20 m and above2 %
Number of floors
Of the 11’286 parcels with a value, half lie between 2.2 and 3.4. The median is 2.9 and the mean 3.0.
Share of parcels by range
- below 23 %
- 2 to below 330 %
- 3 to below 560 %
- 5 and above7 %
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 | 21’729 | 102 % |
| Last 60 years | 7’101 | 130 % |
| Last 40 years | 5’029 | 120 % |
| Last 20 years | 2’202 | 122 % |
| Last 15 years | 1’451 | 128 % |
| Last 10 years | 813 | 135 % |
| Last 5 years | 342 | 128 % |
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).