With which topics we deal
Climate Protection & Energy Transition
Buildings are responsible for around 40 percent of global CO2 emissions during construction and operation. This means that if we take climate targets seriously, we will have to reduce our carbon footprint in buildings as well. The technologies of the future will help us reduce our consumption of resources – and do so as far as possible without sacrificing comfort.
Current developments – the Ukraine war and its aftermath – are leading people to increasingly opt out of fossil fuels. With sun, wind and water, the focus is now increasingly on alternative and sustainable energy sources.
In the future, we will produce at least part of the energy locally or ourselves and use as much of it as possible ourselves. All of this is changing the way we live and reside.
You can learn more about it here: Living and living in transition
Comfort & Security
Smart building technologies offer us a wide range of options for shaping our lives with comfort and security. These systems focus on people: They support our lives, our daily routine.
Our needs vary depending on the stage of life: we get married, have children, prepare for our retirement with a smart renovation. For example, with the help of barrier-free concepts, by controlling the environment or with alarm functions that support us when we need help. Aging is a taboo subject in our society – no one likes to admit needing help. What do we want? We want to focus on solutions, on lifestyle and comfort. Supporting potentials instead of remaining stigmatized. Through intelligent and forward-thinking design, these technologies support our lives, they will completely change the way we build and renovate.
Why we urgently need to talk about assistance solutions? Because we are heading for a care crisis: The baby boomer generation with the highest birth rates will retire by 2034, and the need for care will increase. On the other hand, there is a glaring shortage of skilled workers. Technologies will therefore be necessary to provide the best possible support for private care or staff in care facilities. Learn more about it here: Comfort & Safety
Smart regions
When we think about building and renovating, we often focus on our immediate living environment: How can we design our house or apartment? How do we want to live – and what options are there to best realize our needs?
Smart technologies go one step further: they network us. An example: A community establishes an energy community and invites people to feed the energy they produce locally into a shared storage facility. Or also: In Helsinki (Finland), an intelligent street lighting system controls over 130,000 lamps. Sensors send brightness data to a server, which can then be used to switch the lamps on or off or dim them. This can reduce energy costs by up to 70%.
The applications are extremely diverse: Networked trash cans can provide information about their fill level and are emptied automatically when needed. The city is cleared in an optimized manner via networked snow removal vehicles.
Jobs in transition
The challenges of our time are solved with the help of technology – which is why these jobs are so exciting. This enables us to be a part of important solutions: How to save energy, or even how to consume a high percentage of the energy we produce ourselves.
Several issues are having a lasting impact on the way construction and refurbishment are carried out: These include, for example, upcoming climate regulations, technological development and digitalization. Many companies and sectors are in the midst of the task of training and developing skilled workers for these new topics.
In view of the shortage of skilled workers, jobs in the so-called STEM subjects (mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology) are associated with very good job prospects. And here, from apprentices to skilled workers to academics, all levels of education are in demand: Because while our lives are already shaped by technological innovations, there are not enough graduates.
Jobs in technology also represent a great opportunity for women. Learn more about it here
