Building & Living:
Platform for
Networking, Synthesis
and Transfer

The goal

The aim of the Building & Living Platform is to identify the obstacles to existing innovations for more affordable housing and affordability in the neighborhood and to provide key impulses for the transformation of the construction sector. The main criteria are affordability, sustainability and quality (essential living comfort).

The project is focusing on existing building structures in (sub)urban areas. Being discussed are solutions and impulses for adding stroreys, reusing or redensification on already sealed areas.

More about the project

Register now for webinar:
Building & Living | Launch living labs mapping

+++ Please note: the webinar will be held in German +++

How can living labs contribute to creating affordable housing in urban areas? The platform “Building & Living” by acatech, in collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), will present a new mapping tool. An interactive map showcases living labs and selected innovative best practice examples in Germany.

When: June 25, 2025, 2:00–3:00 PM (CET)
Online via Webex

More information and registration

Standardisation in the construction industry: opportunities, challenges, and the current need for action

Insights into the current work on builiding standardisation from Prof. Dr.-.Ing. Stefan Winter, Ordinarius of the Chair of Timber Structures and Building Construction, TU Munich
Co-lead of working group 1 “Building materials, construction and energy”

Stakeholder advisory board meeting with special character

The fourth stakeholder advisory board meeting had a special character: As usual, the experts were first briefed by the acatech office on the current status of the project and the interim results of the working groups. Afterwards, the stakeholder advisory board members became active themselves – as participants in a Group Delphi.

Infill development through extensions of existing buildings offers clear advantages over new construction

Land use, resource consumption, CO₂ emissions, and especially building costs are significantly lower. Average costs per square meter of gross floor area:
- Roof conversion: €1,797
- Extension: €1,738
- New construction: €2,765

How Germans want to live
When it comes to the criteria for choosing a flat or house, Germans are quite willing to forgo a balcony putting it only in 6th place among the most relevant features.

Learn more

Improve the diversification of housing offers and promote space-saving living
This field of action is highlighted by a working group of the academy initiative ‘Energy Systems of the Future’ (ESYS) in its impulse "How can the energy transition in the building sector succeed? Fields of action for a socially responsible transformation".

© Julius Gnoth

Building in existing structures will become the new industry standard - according to Sarah Dungs, Chairwoman of the Association for Building in Existing Contexts (Verband für Bauen im Bestand e.V.) and Managing Director of the Greyfield Group. During the webinar "Building in Existing Structures: seizing opportunities, overcoming challenges," she explained where CO₂ emissions originate in the construction industry, how resources can be conserved, and why a new mindset is essential for working with existing buildings.

Sarah Dungs
Chairwoman of the Association for Building in Existing Contexts (Verband für Bauen im Bestand e.V.) and
Managing Director of the Greyfield Group

Read the article
© acatech

“Affordable housing is a key challenge for our society. The focus of our platform is on existing buildings as there is enormous potential in terms of conversion, adding storeys and redensification. As a result, living space can be created and resources saved at the same time. The aim is to make affordable and comfortable housing possible and attractive, and to ensure that our cities are future-proof.”

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Wörner
acatech President,
Supervision

Learn more
© Ulrich Mayer

“This is a highly relevant issue: how can we create new living space not on ‘greenfield sites’ with even more sealing of land, but by using and densifying the already built environment, sealed areas and already built infrastructure?”

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Winter 
Ordinarius of the Chair of Timber Structures and Building Construction, TU Munich,
Lead of working group 1 "Building materials, construction and energy“

Learn more
© Martin Braun

“We can only create a future worth living in if problems and their causes are analysed from multiple perspectives and if we take targeted measures to address current dysfunctional contexts and overcome existing obstacles. It is important to bring together knowledge from different areas: from planning, construction and operating, science and practice, experts and people in the neighbourhood.”

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Agnes Förster
Head of the Chair of Planning Theory and Urban Development, RWTH Aachen,
Lead of working group 2 "Urban and neighbourhood development“

Learn more
© Schöck Bauteile GmbH

"I am particularly passionate about the connection between sustainability and affordable housing. The Building & Living Platform offers the ideal opportunity to bring our expertise into the discussion and work together on solutions for the construction industry of tomorrow.“

Dr.-Ing. Daniela Kiefer
Head of Product Management Isokorb®, Schöck Bauteile GmbH,
Lead of working group 1 "Building materials, construction and energy“

Learn more