Homes of the future: Concepts for modern living | BAU

Even cities with an established infrastructure and a robust stock of buildings are facing big challenges: Many empty properties in Halle, Frankfurt an der Oder and Salzgitter, and an exodus of people from regions like the Saarland, the Uckermark and the Ruhr district.

How, then, should we react, when in some places there is a shortage of housing but in others perfectly good properties remain unused for a long time and perhaps even deteriorate? How can we use living space efficiently and sustainably and keep quality high? Answers to these questions, and innovative new concepts for the homes of the future will be presented at BAU.

Ideas for the future of housing

The German Federal Government has launched a housing campaign aimed at creating 1.5 million new apartments and 100,000 social housing units by the end of 2021. State-funded housing construction programs are without question important drivers in creating homes for the future. Our world is being fundamentally changed by social and global developments such as digitalization and the energy revolution. As a result, future concepts for homes are also changing, and new ideas are needed.

Lectures & concepts for the future of housing

New concepts are therefore urgently needed—concepts that address increasing urbanization and rural depopulation, the housing shortage and empty properties—and present workable solutions for the future. Ideas such as flexible cluster apartments that take account of people´s different lifestyles and different stages in life are already being generated. Models for housing that enable community, participation and privacy, are now well established. And, in terms of a resource-efficient higher development density in urban areas, new living space is being created on top of car parks, on the roofs of supermarkets and in unused office buildings.

Discover the homes of the future in the wide-ranging supporting program:

• Alternative housing models that optimize the available space
• Developing unused space and increasing quality of life
• Resource-efficient and sustainable concepts for living

The supporting program at the show features dedicated trade lectures by architects and sector experts presenting future-oriented ideas and concepts.

Challenges facing the homes of the future

Getting it right as regards housing and community in the coming decades requires far more than isolated initiatives, however successful they may be. Now we are starting to see responses to the digital future, where new qualities will be needed. Cities, towns, villages and regions are becoming more closely connected, new ideas in private mobility and mass mobility are being tried out, and work processes are being developed to enable decentralized and location-independent activities. All these, plus more ideas and housing concepts, will be presented at BAU. Book your ticket online from September 2020!