We have been involved in the implementation of Cradle to Cradle principles in the construction sector since 2011, making us one of the pioneers of truly sustainable architecture in Germany. The transformation of the building sector towards a circular and thus resource-friendly architecture means a paradigm shift. Intervening here means in many respects questioning the firmly established structures of an economic model based on linear value creation. We are concerned with how buildings must be planned and constructed so that resources are preserved in the future and thus retain their value. We want to reduce the demand for new primary raw materials and thus also reduce C02 emissions. In addition to the type and choice of materials, it is also about the question of how these have to be joined and how resilient, robust building structures make a variety of conversions and further uses possible. This turns buildings into material banks instead of turning resources into waste in the medium and long term. That's why we're not primarily interested in planning how buildings can be built, but how they can be dismantled again.

As part of planning two high-rise wooden buildings in Wolfsburg, we launched two research projects. We are currently investigating through the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) together with ee concept, CAALA and the Natural Building Lab of the TU Berlin how a regenerative energy supply, recyclable construction methods and planning-accompanying eco-balancing in the building sector are possible.

Creating affordable living space in ecological buildings - that is the objective of the Project "Palazzo Tübingen". Around 70 wooden apartments are planned, spread over three structures. The application for inclusion in the wood-innovative program concerns the centrally positioned building B, which is to become a pioneering project for multi-storey wood-thatch-clay construction (GK4).

Development of an integrated wood utilization concept Ettlingen wants to build climate-friendly in the future: With its climate protection concept, the city wants to focus on the greenhouse gas balance of new quarters. To this end, innovative approaches should be taken into account when designing neighborhood solutions. In addition to the issue of energy (electricity, heat), transport and the building materials used (“grey energy”) also play an important role. If you build with wood, for example, almost 300 tons of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions can be avoided per year. In addition, the use of regional wood resources, mostly made of beech wood, can shorten transport routes and keep value chains in the region. The application of cradle-to-cradle principles - i.e. circular construction - also extends the life of the wood. Because if wood can be reused in other projects after the building has been dismantled, the CO2 binding in the building material is maximized.

On behalf of the Schönau Evangelical Foundation, four multi-family houses in different timber constructions are being built in Brühl near Heidelberg. As part of an accompanying research project of the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU), the future of timber construction in rental housing is being investigated: What are the requirements for this type of construction? How can "grey energy" be kept as low as possible during construction? How is it possible to integrate only renewable sources as far as possible for the energy supply - and to do so with economic success? Partner und Partner is planning one of the four buildings. Most of the wood comes from the foundation's own forestry operations.

Germany is still eating up its agricultural land: “Every day around 55 hectares are redesignated as settlement areas and traffic areas in Germany. This corresponds to a new land use (...) of about 78 soccer fields". This is the statement of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. Our question: How do we want to feed the urban areas of the future? How and where do we produce the food of the future? And how can we find a systemic approach that enables food and the city to coexist? In a transdisciplinary network with competent partners, we develop solutions for building-integrated agriculture that enable consumer-friendly food production without transport routes and create synergies between resource cycles (air, heat, water) inherent in the building.

Städte werden im Zuge der Klimaveränderungen zu Hitzeinseln. Es gilt zudem Lösungen zu finden, die auf aufzunehmende Starkregenereignisse Antworten geben. Zudem stellt uns ein massives Artensterben vor große Herausforderungen. Flächenentsiegelung und Gebäudebegrünungen auf Dächern und an Fassaden, verbessern das Mikroklima vor allem in stark verdichteten städtischen Räumen. Wir beleuchten diese Potentiale in unseren Projekten; recherchieren und bewerten unterschiedliche Systeme hinsichtlich technischer, ökologischer und ökonomischer Anforderungen. Das haben wir in diversen Projekten bereits erfolgreich planen und umsetzen können.

We quantify our actions. On the one hand, this applies to the CO2 impact during the construction and operation of our buildings, and in this context also to the amount of dismantling and recycling of the resources used, including a monetary quantification of the material values. The goal is to get resources so buildings can become material banks. To do this, we work with various software solutions (including Madaster, Caala, Urban Mining Index) and continuously optimize the interfaces to our BIM planning. In order to enable holistic planning decisions in the early planning phases by comparing them with the corresponding life cycle assessments and life cycle assessments. We are certified as a BNB coordinator and a member of the DGNB and are involved in the "Life Cycle and Circular Building" committee.