海角视频

The third Lab Talk in our series 鈥淔utureproof. Engineering Resilient Cities鈥� at the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin focused on the question of how buildings can become futureproof.

While we looked at successful examples of future-ready buildings, we asked what is needed to make these flagship projects the standard. This kind of scaling is essential to make our cities more resilient. Our panellists – experts from politics, business, and architecture 鈥� discussed questions such as: 

• What makes a building futureproof? 
• Which regulatory framework and political instruments support widespread implementation?
• If we know what a futureproof building should look like – why is it not the new norm?

Progress to achieve even the most ambitious goals for a resilient building stock remains slow despite the fact that the technical solutions are known. The Futureproof S event centred on the urgent need to accelerate change. Together with stakeholders from planning, business, and a development bank, we explored how collaboration across the construction sector can be improved to create a win-win-win scenario. Our guests included: Noel Wibrand, Head of Sustainability and Partner at Dorte Mandrup; Martin L枚cker, Group Head of Development and Managing Partner at CA Immobilien Anlagen AG (CA Immo); and Bettina Dorendorf, Senior Sustainability/Sustainable Finance Manager and Authorised Signatory at KfW. 

What makes a building futureproof? 

The Earth is reaching its limits. and his team developed the concept of planetary boundaries, which describes how much pressure humanity can place on the Earth without compromising its stability. There are nine such boundaries 鈥� including climate change, biodiversity loss, land-use change and disrupted biogeochemical cycles. This annual 鈥渉ealth check鈥� of our planet shows: humanity must consume less to live more sustainably. Yet setbacks such as the resurgence of fossil fuels, the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, or the EU Commission鈥檚 omnibus package easing ESG reporting obligations are slowing progress. But climate change doesn鈥檛 pause. We must continue to seek solutions. 

What defines a futureproof building? 

Futureproof buildings must fulfil two conditions. They must be adaptable: flexible design allows for the integration of new technologies, repurposing, or adaptation to the impacts of the climate crisis. They must be constructed and operated with minimal CO鈧� emissions. Circular approaches help reduce the need for new materials, and using sustainable materials and resources lowers carbon output. Biodiversity must also be considered in new building projects. 

Climate adaptation and circularity

The climate is changing, and the effects are already being felt. Increasing heatwaves and heavy rainfall events require buildings to adapt. One example: the Floating University Berlin, an innovative project on a rainwater retention basin at the former Tempelhof Airport, has served as a learning space for nature/culture since 2018. Designed by the architectural collective raumlabor and initially built in 2018 using sustainable and mostly recycled materials, the Floating University continues to evolve each year. 

The Floating University also addresses climate change through its content. Researchers and educators conduct various educational formats and transdisciplinary projects that strengthen urban resilience to global environmental changes. 

Another example is the heat action plan of the city of Burscheid in North Rhine-Westphalia, developed in collaboration with 海角视频. It analyses current climatic conditions, forecasts future heat stress, and proposes measures to reduce it through more green spaces, adapted urban structures and improved water supply. 

New buildings must be planned with circularity in mind from the outset, as shown by the 鈥淣eue Mitte Tempelhof鈥� project. This new urban quarter around the Tempelhof Town Hall in Berlin aims to create a sustainable, future-ready district. It reorganises public facilities, creates housing and enhances green and open spaces. The goal is a socially and ecologically balanced neighbourhood that combines climate protection with modern mobility. At the building level, this means reusing existing components and materials. 

Renewable resources and biodiversity

The Anna Lindh House, named after the Swedish European politician, is being built directly at Europaplatz in Berlin. It demonstrates how sustainable materials can be used in construction. Its timber-hybrid construction and CO鈧�-reduced concrete lower emissions during construction by around 30% compared to conventional buildings. In operation, the building is CO鈧�-neutral. To ensure the CO鈧� and energy targets are met, 海角视频 was appointed as the 鈥淓nvironmental Guardian.鈥� The team first defined the greenhouse gas emission targets for the building鈥檚 operation and construction, then coordinated the implementation of these scientifically grounded targets across all project phases with the client and specialist planners. 

Promoting biodiversity is also crucial, as demonstrated by the 鈥淏rainery鈥� project. The Brainergy Hub forms the heart of the Brainergy Park in J眉lich 鈥� an innovation park for companies and start-ups in the fields of sustainable energy research, bioeconomy and digitalisation. A recessed ground floor creates a north-south axis that connects the hub building with the surrounding outdoor areas and existing green spaces, including a nature conservation area to the north and an orchard to the south. A small lake is planned to serve as a thermal energy store and to manage rainwater runoff. The Brainergy Hub operates energy-efficiently, generating most of its electricity through photovoltaic panels on the roof and fa莽ade, feeding any surplus back into the grid. Its hybrid timber and reinforced concrete structure makes the hub a social knowledge centre for the park and a symbol of the transition to renewable energy.

Which regulatory frameworks could support widespread implementation? 

Regulatory frameworks and political instruments can significantly promote sustainable construction and futureproof buildings. Financial incentives play a central role in motivating both private and commercial developers to integrate sustainability into their projects. Governments can support these incentives through various measures, as illustrated by the example of the public development bank KfW. 

Institutions like KfW were commissioned by the German government in 2019 to promote sustainable buildings. A key instrument is the 鈥淓fficiency House鈥� standard, which sets two main criteria for residential buildings 鈥� total energy demand and thermal insulation of the building envelope. The Efficiency House levels, such as 40 or 55, indicate how energy-efficient a building is compared to a reference building. The lower the number, the lower the energy demand. An Efficiency House 55, for example, uses only 55% of the primary energy of a standard building. KfW supports the construction and renovation of such buildings with loans, part of which may be waived depending on the efficiency level 鈥� a strong financial incentive. 

The European Taxonomy Regulation defines what constitutes sustainable action by establishing a unified set of criteria to determine whether an economic activity is environmentally sustainable. It creates a common language for sustainable economic activities. Under reporting obligations such as the CSRD, companies must disclose how closely their activities align with these criteria, increasing transparency and comparability. 

Additional political instruments include legal regulations, funding programmes and tax incentives that promote sustainable construction. Germany鈥檚 National Sustainability Strategy sets ambitious targets for a climate-neutral building stock by 2045. Global standards and initiatives such as the OECD Guidelines for Sustainable Infrastructure and the G20 Partnership for Quality Infrastructure Investment also play a key role. Technical standards and certification systems like the Sustainable Building Assessment System (BNB) and the Quality Seal for Sustainable Buildings (QNG) provide clear criteria and procedures for evaluating the sustainability of construction projects. 

Why are futureproof buildings not the new norm?

Even though we know what a futureproof building should look like, sustainable construction is still not the norm. While it is economically viable in the long term, numerous obstacles hinder its widespread adoption. 

These include a reliance on outdated practices, complex regulations and societal barriers. Many solutions exist but remain underutilised. 

The multitude of regulations 鈥� such as disclosure requirements 鈥� have, on the one hand, directed capital in the right direction, but on the other, made implementation more difficult. The bureaucratic burden has led to an overload of reporting requirements, which in turn has hindered implementation and, in some cases, led to a decline in sustainable practices. The Omnibus Regulation aims to simplify these obligations and reduce the burden by adjusting the thresholds for the CSRD and the EU Taxonomy. 

A lack of building materials, financing and skilled labour also hampers implementation. To make sustainable construction the norm, we need clear, reliable and comprehensible rules. Renovating existing buildings should take priority. Collaboration and continuous improvement are essential to ensure buildings work for everyone. Only joint action and knowledge sharing will lead to successful transformation. Initiatives such as the , in which KfW is also involved, play a key role. It brings together European stakeholders and invests in circular projects. 

Conclusion 

Sustainable construction will only become the norm if the rules are stable, clear, reliable and easy to understand. The renovation of existing buildings must take precedence. For buildings to work for everyone, collaboration and ongoing improvement are essential. Carbon content must be assessed early in the process. Only through collective action and knowledge exchange can we drive the transformation towards futureproof buildings. Initiatives like the Circular Economy are crucial to this effort.