BIM@SLU in practice: How Lucerne is digitally preparing the Neubad

The former Biregg indoor swimming pool is one of the most important Brutalist buildings in Switzerland. Used as the "Neubad" cultural center since 2013, the building is now facing its greatest challenge: renovation and further development as the heart of the new Kleinmatt/Biregg urban quarter with around 185 planned apartments.

The problem with plans from 1965
Construction of the Biregg indoor pool began in 1962, followed by the opening on 7 May 1969. What the architects Lis and Adolf Ammann recorded on paper at the time is now available as tracings of plans - some supplemented by DWG files of varying topicality, but without a consistent overall basis. Planning on this basis would be a risk: contradictions between plan statuses, missing height information, unclear geometries in one of the most complex exposed concrete buildings in the region.

Data-based new start with scan-to-BIM
As part of the city's BIM program (BIM@SLU), the IMMO City of Lucerne decided on a consistent new start for as-built recording. The City of Lucerne's Geoinformation Center carried out a complete terrestrial laser scanning. On this basis, VDE developed a precise 3D as-built model with structural building data, derived as IFC and DWG plans, supplemented by 360° photographs and referenced archiving of the historical plans 1965-1968.

Why BIM works differently for existing projects
BIM is a planning tool for new buildings. For existing projects, BIM is first and foremost a cognitive process. The Neubad project is a good example: before architects, planners and investors can decide whether to renovate, convert or build a new building, they need a reliable data basis without media discontinuity. The 3D model from VDE flows directly into the planning process, which will be submitted to the Lucerne City Council at the end of 2026.

Conclusion
Public developers such as the city of Lucerne are increasingly relying on structured as-built surveys as the first step in any site development. And rightly so - because a decision is only as good as the data on which it is based.

"Are you planning a site development or preliminary study? VDE supports you from the as-built survey to the BIM-compliant planning basis."