Construction industry

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft aims to promote the circular economy by introducing so-called Circonomy® hubs. These networks, spread throughout Germany, aim to develop systemic and technical solutions for sustainable production and consumption. They bring together stakeholders from science, business, associations and society to create a specific...

A flood devastated large areas of Bavaria in 2013, including the Fischerdorf district of Deggendorf, where the water rose up to four meters high. Two weeks after the disaster, more than 500 victims met in the Deggendorf town hall, most of them from Fischerdorf. The residents, still exhausted from the disaster, shared harrowing stories of flooded streets,...

The consumer protection association Wohnen im Eigentum (WiE) has once again criticized the plans of the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ) to require a 3/4 majority to hold online owners' meetings. This would undermine owners' rights. Despite headwinds, the BMJ has presented a draft that is intended to facilitate such purely digital meetings. The planned changes stipulate that...

The legal implications of building acceptance should not be underestimated by builders. The Bauherren-Schutzbund points this out in an article. This is a decisive milestone in the construction process. The client confirms that the work is essentially complete and free of defects. This confirmation marks the end of the contract fulfillment stage and...

Together with partners, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA has developed a bivalent furnace that can switch flexibly between electricity and gas, thereby reducing energy costs in the production of castings. The innovative approach is designed to enable companies to react to fluctuations in electricity prices and manage their energy supply more efficiently.

Innovative online kitchen planners offer consumers a quick and realistic way to visualize their dream kitchen and have long since replaced hand-drawn sketches. "Buying a new fitted kitchen must have been a matter of absolute trust in the past," says Volker Irle, Managing Director of AMK - Arbeitsgemeinschaft Die Moderne Küche. Whereas in the past...

A home is a reflection of your own preferences and lifestyle. The kitchen plays a key role in this and the current trend is towards open-plan kitchen concepts. Up to 90 percent of all new builds are to be fitted with open-plan kitchens. Open-plan kitchens are modern, spacious and prestigious. The lack of walls creates a harmonious transition between the individual...

In 2022, 1,900 more apartments were completed in Germany than in 2021 (+0.6%). According to the Federal Statistical Office, 295,300 new apartments were built. However, the 2020 level of 306,400 apartments was not reached. Of the completed apartments, 258,800 were new-build apartments in residential buildings. The differences in construction output varied depending on the type of...

The Berlin Botanic Garden warns against blind actionism in species protection. Thomas Borsch, Director of the Botanical Garden, emphasizes the need for sound knowledge about biodiversity and species protection. He argues that well-intentioned but uninformed actions such as the indiscriminate sowing of seeds can even do harm. The conservation of a species is more complex than generally assumed. The...

How do employees who mainly work outdoors protect themselves from intense sunlight? And what precautionary measures do employers take? Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have now investigated this. The study shows that there are differences in terms of gender, industry sector and working hours when it comes to individual...