Revolution in housing construction: Hamburg's standard for affordable living!

Today is June 2nd, 2025

Date: June 2, 2025 – Source 1 (https://www.haufe.de/immobilien/wohnungswirtschaft/limmo-podcast-e-wie-einfach-bezahlbares-bauer-und-wohnen_260_650110.html):
– Real Estate Arena in May with stage program, panels, key notes and award ceremonies.
– Live podcast “L’Immo” with Iris Jachertz and guests Ingeborg Esser, Frank Seeger and Matthias Herter.
– Discussion about building type E, simple construction and affordable living.
– Ingeborg Esser (GdW), Frank Seeger (Baugenossenschaft dhu) and Matthias Herter (Meravis) address political framework conditions.
– Suggestions for improvement by the new government compared to the old one.
– Example for quick construction: Hamburg standard.
– Lack of pilot projects for new construction approaches.
– Discussion about affordability and comfort: foregoing comfort vs. compatibility of affordability and sustainability.
– Impulses for alternative construction methods: serial or modular construction.
– Support through digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce costs.
– “L’Immo” podcast appears regularly with topics from the real estate industry.

Source 2 (https://www.deutsche-handwerks-zeitung.de/guenstiger-machen-mit-dem-hamburg-standard-358934/):
– Hamburg has presented the “Hamburg Standard” to create affordable housing.
– Goal: Reduce construction costs by a third, currently around 4,600 euros per square meter.
– Urban Development Senator Karen Pein and experts from politics, construction and administration are working on implementation.
– Savings of up to 2,000 euros per square meter possible thanks to the new standard.
– Savings approaches:
– Avoiding unnecessary DIN standards (e.g. impact sound insulation on balconies).
– More efficient between developers, authorities and collaborations.
– Only build underground car parks if necessary, use alternatives such as car sharing.
– No cellars unless necessary; Storage rooms in apartments or other floors.
– Flat roofs instead of gable roofs for easier and cheaper construction.
– The Central Association of the German Construction Industry (ZDB) sees the Hamburg standard as positive.
– ZDB emphasizes that structural requirements often go beyond what is necessary.
– Hamburg-Standard offers model contract clauses for legal protection.
– Pilot project planned in the Wilhelmsburg town hall district with 1,900 new apartments.
– Building type E pursues similar goals, but faces legal challenges.
– Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ) expresses concerns about compatibility with current building law.