Sustainability of building and living

On the threshold to the 21st century, the question arises as to how our society and economy can be made fit for the future. The field of action "building and housing" is of central economic, ecological and social importance in this context.

The main objective of the research project carried out by the IZT and the FWI - Management Academy of the Housing and Real Estate Industry (cooperation partners) was to concretise and operationalise the guiding principle of sustainable development for the housing industry. While the housing industry has so far been dominated by contributions on individual aspects, the study aimed for the first time to combine social, economic and ecological dimensions in equal measure in order to sound out practicable options for action and optimisation potential.

To this end, four exemplary fields of action were examined: the new construction of owner-occupied homes, the privatisation of existing housing stock, the facility management of properties and the social management of neighbourhoods. In each field of action, a detailed analysis of housing industry practice, the conflicting objectives and implications of this practice for sustainability, approaches and optimisation options for a sustainable design of the fields of action and the effects on housing industry companies were discussed. This study was supplemented by an analysis of the political framework and the scientific debate on a sustainable housing industry. Finally, a possible path for the further development of housing companies towards a sustainable business was outlined and recommendations for the housing industry were made.

After completion and submission of the final report to the funding organisation, the results were presented in the form of a IZT Future Study published.