How can real-world labs be leveraged as tools for transformation in the planning and construction industries as well?
March 21, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Opening Remarks: Prof. Dr. Guido Spars, Founding Director
Moderator: Dr. Leslie Quitzow, Research Fellow for Futures Studies and Urban Development
Guests:
Sina Jansen, Researcher, Natural Building Lab (nbl.berlin) at TU Berlin
Hendrik Rieger, Head of the Renovation Department, degewo AG
Frank Otte, City Planning Director of Osnabrück, “Einfach gut!” model project
Dr. Anja Steglich, Director of Stadtmanufaktur Berlin, TU Berlin
Against the backdrop of the impending climate crisis and dwindling global resources, the planning and construction sector faces an immense task of transformation. Real-world laboratories can support and accelerate this transformation. As tools for developing and testing innovative approaches, real-world laboratories are already well-established—particularly in the mobility and energy sectors—and are receiving corresponding funding.
However, the planning and construction sector has thus far been largely excluded from this development. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the highly fragmented construction sector is characterized by diverse economic sectors with very different business practices, production technologies, and cultures. Furthermore, planning processes are governed by standards and regulations that make it difficult to experimentally test innovations in real building construction projects.
This transformation dialogue explores how real-world labs can be leveraged as transformation tools for the planning and construction industries as well. What obstacles currently stand in the way of their implementation? How would real-world labs need to be structured to be effective for the construction industry? What is the relationship between real-world labs and building class “E”? What form should funding instruments take to support real-world labs in the construction sector?
The discussion will feature representatives from academia, politics, and the field.
(Text from the Bauakademie website: https://bundesstiftung-bauakademie.de/news/detail/tid1-reallabore-zur-erprobung-innovativer-ansaetze-in-der-planungs-und-baubranche, March 20, 2024)