New forms of housing in urban and rural areas
Among the featured exhibits is the UPSIDE sustainability project, which is working to create a self-sufficient community in the Siebentischwald district in Augsburg. This car-free area is adapted to its natural surroundings, with open spaces set aside for agriculture and fields with scattered fruit trees. The residents work together to harvest the crops. Houses are built using regional materials, with greenhouses on the ground floor and greenery on the walls and roofs. In all of the housing, a sophisticated energy concept is implemented with sustainable insulation and natural heat sinks.
For the urban environment, "büro für bauform", a design office in Nuremberg, has created PlantHouse. It is based on the principle of sustainability and changing lifestyles in response to climate change. To implement the project, a war-scarred 19th-century building at the heart of Nuremberg was chosen as the site for an integrated rooftop garden. Apart from serving as a location for urban gardening, PlantHouse is also a pleasant space for city residents to enjoy the outdoors.
Space-saving futuristic design gardens
But not all great ideas have to be big: With the Plantcube by Agrilution (Munich), people can enjoy their very own futuristic design garden in their own kitchen. In a glass box the size of a small cupboard, they can grow herbs or lettuce in bowls, producing a fresh and healthy harvest all year round. The Plantcube is a fully automated growing box used in closed spaces and providing perfect growing conditions for plants.
Smart networking in building systems
The starting point for iHaus, developed by the company with the same name in Unterföhring, was the desire to implement smart networking in building systems. Another concept for combining multiple functions in a single unit was created by S. Siedle & Söhne OHG, a manufacturer of interior communication technology from Furtwangen. With the company's central control unit, users can make phone calls, answer the intercom and unlock the door. They can also talk using a hands-free device or make video calls.
