Building & Living: Worth knowing from the industry

Project outcomes from the ‘Building & Living’ platform

acatech IMPULSES: How municipalities, the federal government and the federal states can create affordable housing within the existing housing stock

With two publications from the acatech IMPULSE series, we are publishing the key findings of our ‘Building & Living: A Platform for Networking, Synthesis and Transfer’ project: by setting out concrete courses of action, we are addressing the federal and state governments – as the key legislative and regulatory bodies in Germany – as well as local authorities. After all, affordable housing remains one of the greatest challenges facing Germany. The existing building stock in urban areas offers considerable potential to address this issue – for example, through adding storeys, constructing extensions, converting commercial and office space, subdividing large flats and other forms of infill development.

acatech IMPULS: "More affordable housing in the existing stock – options for action for the federal and state governments”

As the key legislative and regulatory authorities, the federal and state governments establish the regulatory framework for the building sector, in particular building and planning law as well as state building regulations. Furthermore, policymakers and administrators at these levels steer housing support schemes and the training of skilled workers. This is where our publication “More affordable housing in the existing building stock – Options for action for the federal and state governments”, which was produced as part of our project, comes in. With this publication, our experts are addressing the federal and state governments.

acatech IMPULS: “More affordable housing in the existing building stock – options for action for local authorities and municipal organisations”

As part of our project, around 40 experts discussed options for action to increase the supply of affordable housing in the urban building stock, prioritised them according to their impact, and developed them with specific target groups in mind. This has resulted in two publications in the acatech IMPULS series. One publication is aimed at local authorities and municipal organisations. As key players in the housing market, they face the challenge of ensuring affordability whilst also giving due consideration to environmental sustainability and a high quality of living.

Project outcomes from the ‘Building & Living’ platform

acatech IMPULSES: How municipalities, the federal government and the federal states can create affordable housing within the existing housing stock

With two publications from the acatech IMPULSE series, we are publishing the key findings of our ‘Building & Living: A Platform for Networking, Synthesis and Transfer’ project: by setting out concrete courses of action, we are addressing the federal and state governments – as the key legislative and regulatory bodies in Germany – as well as local authorities. After all, affordable housing remains one of the greatest challenges facing Germany. The existing building stock in urban areas offers considerable potential to address this issue – for example, through adding storeys, constructing extensions, converting commercial and office space, subdividing large flats and other forms of infill development.

Housing sufficiency: Sustainable approaches for more affordable housing

How much living space do we actually need? How can existing housing better be distributed, adapted or shared? Particularly in high-demand urban areas, housing is scarce and expensive, and housing needs change over the course of a person´s life At the same time, space is used socially unbalanced. Overcrowding, very large homes with only a few occupants or even vacant properties, for example, make it clear that it is not just about new construction, but also better - and above all flexible - use of existing stock. Housing sufficiency solutions can help address this issue by combining ecological goals, such as reducing land consumption, with social objectives, such as increasing the availability of affordable living.

Measures to bring vacant properties back into use to increase the housing availability: examples from towns and districts

In Germany, around 1.9 million apartments were vacant according to the 2022 census – equivalent to 4.3 per cent of the housing stock., with half of them vacant for more than one year¹. While in many major cities such as Munich, Hamburg or Berlin only about 2 to 3 per cent of apartments are unused, significantly higher vacancy rates are found in eastern German regions and in some structurally weak rural districts. Many large and medium-sized cities are already implementing instruments to systematically record vacancies and reactivate unused properties. This represents a key lever for creating housing and thus making an important contribution to more affordable housing.

¹ Federal Statistical Office

Capriccio on Bavarian Television: How Building Type E makes construction simpler

In its report “Building More Simply! With ‘Building Type E’”, the cultural TV magazine Capriccio from Bavarian Broadcasting illustrates how the simplified construction concept works: how to build faster, in a more climate‑friendly way and at lower cost. Using the examples of a house without a conventional heating system and a former spinning mill that is to be converted into housing, the programme presents pragmatic solutions that rely on less technology and fewer norms to make construction more affordable. Experts also discuss current challenges and outline the benefits of this new approach.

Watch “Building More Simply! With ‘Building Type E’” (in German)

Group delphi processes to integrate additional expertise

A central component of the Building & Living project was the implementation of Group Delphi processes — designed both to validate and to complement the expertise of the working groups. The methodological design, implementation, and evaluation were conducted according to scientific standards by DIALOGIK – Non-Profit Institute for Communication and Cooperation Research.

Citizens’ councils in a scientific context

A central component of the Bauen & Wohnen project was the implementation of citizens’ councils to examine the social acceptance of proposals developed by the working groups for more affordable housing. These councils took place between April and June in the metropolitan regions of Berlin and the Ruhr area.

Review: Existing buildings as an opportunity!
Building & Living at the 18th National Urban Development Policy Congress

The Building & Living platform contributed with its expert forum titled “Existing buildings as an opportunity! Social and technological innovations for more affordable and sustainable living space in the neighbourhoods.” Around 140 participants attended the session, where the current results and discussions from the working groups were presented and discussed.

Making experiential knowledge from innovative practical projects accessible to others

Real-world laboratories make it possible to test new technologies, business models, or regulatory approaches under real-world conditions. With the Real-World Laboratories Innovation Portal, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) now offers a central platform for consultation, information, networking, and knowledge transfer on the topic of real-world laboratories and regulatory sandboxes. The goal: “to facilitate the practical implementation of living labs as well as knowledge transfer and regulatory learning.”

“We must be a creative lab to solve one of the greatest problems facing our country.”

Housing is not a luxury, but a social fundamental right that must not be determined by the market alone – this is one of the central messages in the kick-off speech of the new Federal Minister for Housing, Verena Hubertz. For her, housing construction is not only an economic stimulus, but a societal obligation: "I want housing to be a functioning market where it's not just the return on investment that counts. And as Minister for Housing, I want to ensure that housing remains affordable for everyone – from apprentices to pensioners."

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

A working group meeting at the acatech office in March was not only special because members of WG 1 and WG 3 (“Building materials, construction and energy” and “Transformation and implementation strategies”) met together for the first time. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Winter, co-lead of WG 1, opened the meeting with a brief introduction: in his role as Chairman of the DIN Standards Committee for Construction and member of the DIN Special Presidential Committee for Buildings (SPB), he gave an overview of the role of standardisation in construction and the current committee work within the context of DIN e. V.

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.

Spring Report 2025

"Currently, residential construction in Germany is among the most expensive in international comparison," emphasizes the " Immobilienweisen Expert Panel” in its Spring Real Estate Industry Report 2025. Panel member Ralph Henger from the German Economic Institute (Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft, IW) highlights in the chapter "Residential Real Estate" various levers that could be adjusted to make building—and thus housing—more affordable again.

How can the energy transition in the building sector succeed?

How Can the Energy Transition in Building Secor Succeed?

"Improving the diversification of housing options and promoting space-saving living" – this key action area 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? Key Areas for a Socially Viable Transformation”. The working group outlines the crucial role that upgrading existing building structures plays in achieving climate targets in the building sector.

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

Building in existing structures: seizing opportunities, overcoming challenges

"Our vision is to shift the real estate industry from new builds to existing buildings. We firmly believe that building in existing structures will become the new industry standard," says 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.

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