From AI-generated bathroom redesigns to intelligent heating control: Last week, we attended the 2025 Digitalisation in Building Technology Conference organised by the industry association suissetec in Zurich. This time, the venue was Sihlcity – a location that perfectly suited the event with its mix of urban life, industrial charm and modern architecture. Having attended the premiere of the Digitalisation Symposium three years ago, it was all the more enjoyable to be back again this year. And this time there was even a special highlight: Marc Bader from SanTech Gebäudetechnik AG – one of our customers – presented Vanillaplan in one of the talks!
Digitalisation in building technology – what is driving the industry?
The conference made one thing clear: digitalisation is profoundly changing building technology. The focus was on two buzzwords that could hardly be more relevant at the moment: artificial intelligence (AI) and digital communication.
As a software company that develops artificial intelligence for the planning side of the construction industry, it is important for us to think outside the box. We want to understand how digitalisation is progressing in building technology – and take inspiration for our own work. That's why it was particularly exciting for us to see how widely AI is now being used – from practical everyday tools to visionary approaches for the buildings of the future.
AI in practice
The first topic block focused on specific examples of the use of artificial intelligence in craft businesses and buildings.
One presentation showed how AI can be used to assist in the redesign of rooms. A live demo allowed us to experience how a bathroom can be virtually visualised in different styles – a feature that can help customers make decisions more easily when renovating in the future.
Another presentation that impressed us greatly focused on sustainable heating with AI. Smart thermostats and sensors are used to collect and evaluate data on room behaviour. The software “learns” how the temperature develops depending on the weather and usage – and, based on this, controls the radiators in such a way that comfort and energy efficiency are optimally combined. Super interesting!
Clever resource management: a presentation on the use of Vanillaplan at SanTech Gebäudetechnik AG
A particular highlight of the conference for us was the presentation by Marc Bader, Head of New Building Sanitation at our customer, SanTech Gebäudetechnik AG. Marc gave a very clear description of the problems associated with traditional resource planning – and how Vanillaplan makes a difference here.
About SanTech:
SanTech Gebäudetechnik AG was founded in 2014, employs 28 people and carries out sanitary installations in new buildings, conversions, service and maintenance – with in-house prefabrication.
Problems in traditional resource planning
Marc Bader first addressed the problems in traditional resource planning, i.e. before the use of Vanillaplan.
"Before introducing Vanillaplan, we at SanTech used Excel lists that contained employee details and allowed us to plan one to two weeks ahead. This was particularly problematic because there are often changes in construction work that are difficult to add to Excel lists. This lack of flexibility meant that adjustments were often not entered at all, resulting in resources not being used as efficiently as they could have been. Added to this was the high level of communication required, as all changes had to be passed on manually. This led to a lack of transparency for everyone involved and a correspondingly high risk of errors.
Another problem was that we couldn't plan beyond a period of more than two weeks. This meant that it wasn't possible to accurately predict longer-term capacity utilisation, resulting in both extreme peaks and underutilisation. This, in turn, led to dissatisfied employees."
Resource planning with Vanillaplan – the advantages
He then went on to explain the advantages SanTech now enjoys with Vanillaplan:
"The great thing about the Vanillaplan resource planning software is that it provides us with a deployment plan that allows us to plan as far into the future as we want. There is no need for traditional “command issuance” because all the information for the job can be stored directly as a note for the employees. In addition, the deployment plan shows at a glance who is absent or available and who is scheduled where.
Using the mobile app, each employee can see in an individual view which project they are working on, from when to when, and what notes have been stored for it. This gives employees access to the entire schedule at all times – and they are automatically informed of any changes via push notifications.
However, the most important thing for us is capacity planning for utilisation, which allows us to avoid high peaks and underloads. To do this, we can set a target utilisation rate. We have defined our utilisation at 50 weeks – this gives us an incredible overview and allows for very good coordination. We now know exactly when we can accept orders, when it becomes too much, or when we need to hire temporary staff."
Marc's conclusion:
"We can no longer imagine resource planning without Vanillaplan. The foresight that the programme gives us has become indispensable. And employees are automatically informed of any changes – we no longer have to call or write to them."
Many thanks to Marc Bader for this great presentation and to suissetec for the excellent organisation! We are taking away lots of ideas – and are already looking forward to the next time.
