BAU, the world’s leading trade fair for architecture, materials and systems, returns to Munich from 13 to 17 January 2025. The focus will be on urban, rural and neighbourhood transformation and how living spaces will be shaped in the future.
At BAU 2025, some of the most challenging topics of our time will be discussed, such as sustainable land use and the transformation of the built heritage as a challenge for cities, neighbourhoods and the countryside. There are already critical social, economic and ecological issues arising from the fact that around 56% of the world’s population currently lives in cities, a figure that is estimated to rise to 70% by 2050.
Demands on space and land use are constantly increasing, leading to conflicts of interest between different sectors. Forward-looking planning is essential to ensure that cities, rural areas and intermediate territories are fit for the challenges ahead. Which answers already exist and where new approaches need to be developed will be topics presented at BAU 2025 from 13 to 17 January 2025 in Munich.
In these scenarios, spatial planning, design and development are key elements in responding to the critical and problematic issues that demographic and social change p During BAU 2025, the focus will be on sustainable land use, prevention of land sealing through settlement development, preservation of the cultural heritage, promotion of social integration and quality of life, and participatory planning processes to ensure acceptance of measures by the population.
In this direction is the ‘New Leipzig Charter’, an important building block for the national urban development policy, which serves as a guideline for innovative and sustainable solutions in urban planning and neighbourhood development, in the three dimensions of ´fair, green and productive city´; as the digital transformation, changed consumption and mobility requirements call for a new mix of production, work and life in favour of new, more liveable neighbourhoods.
With a view to more liveable areas, the adaptation and redevelopment of existing buildings is crucial. Intelligent concepts are needed to ensure flexibility in the conversion and reuse of land in order to preserve cultural identity and minimise emissions. The concept of internal development in rural areas also aims to revitalise existing buildings and unused areas within built-up areas, instead of allocating new building land to the outskirts of cities.
The ecological transformation of our cities and rural areas and neighbourhoods is a real investment in the future. It not only leads to better climate-friendly living conditions, but also offers considerable economic added value for all involved.
Affordable housing is crucial for stabilising local communities and the economy. The discrepancy between the creation of 400,000 housing units agreed in the coalition agreement and the decline (which started two years ago) in residential building permits is a major challenge. But there are also new strategies for innovative approaches.
In locations with high settlement pressure, the conversion of existing buildings of other types, such as offices or hospitals, can be an approach to create affordable living space through skilful interventions and to create links with the existing neighbourhood. Another approach is the creation of new forms of housing that focus on community and openness. These projects aim to use flexible and adaptable architecture to create new ways of living together and interacting. The expansion of use, beyond pure living, not only serves to revitalise and utilise existing structures, but also to create a social and meeting place that promotes a sense of community.
Sustainable development in urban, spatial and regional planning requires new processes, methods and tools to react quickly to current challenges and to proactively shape future developments. Taking into account the rapid digitisation and technological progress of the last 20 years, continuous adaptation and revision of dynamic processes are required. This includes the development of innovative scenarios and forms of participation that promote new ways of co-design and acceptance. Best practices and scalable impulses will be presented at BAU 2025, as well as the necessary product and system innovations.
