PETRA is a project financed by the CTI (Commission for the promotion of the Technology and Innovation of the Confederation), with a two and half year duration (October 2011 – March 2013). It links the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) as project leader, with the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne (EPFL), and three private partners (ESTIA SA, EPIQR Rénovation and PK SA). The main objective of PETRA is to develop a new online IT building management method, which includes diagnosing the conservation state, and planning the renovation work to execute, for mixed real estate portfolios in function with various indicators.

PETRA addresses all people or institutions that manage mixed real estate portfolios, particularly public or private technical services, architecture and engineering studios that have tackled this topic. In order to manage the refurbishment and maintenance of these buildings correctly, these “clients” need an analysis method that can provide a simplified and rapid diagnosis of the conservation state of all the real estate items in portfolio, and determine the interventions and refurbishment costs.