How will we live in the future? Which innovative concepts and approaches are already helping us overcome the impending challenges? And how do we create a sustainable, energy-efficient housing association through digitalization?
The experts from Drees & Sommer asked these and other questions at this year’s edition of the EDG* in London.
With the concentrated expertise of the Innovation Consulting team, they developed a well-founded view of the future of the housing industry in the form of a workshop with the participants. The future theses of the construction and real estate industry served as the basis for the findings.
The new format of innovation consulting at Drees & Sommer has made a start in the residential sector and is to be used for other sectors and topics in the future.
Motivation in the morning, lively discussions in the afternoon
The experts from the Innovation Center used many examples from promising Drees & Sommer residential projects to lead the audience through selected theses and presented technology trends. All participants then used this basic knowledge to work out an impact matrix that visualizes trends in terms of their impact on the company, and then the entire housing sector was included in the considerations. The focus was on self-organized property and asset management as well as smart city and mobility.
The result: seeing artificial intelligence (AI) as an opportunity
Things have been quite active in London. Four groups came up with four partly very different views on the future of housing associations. There was one common denominator: the potential—and with it the risks—of artificial intelligence in the housing industry. Conclusion: it’s the synergy that makes the difference. Humans and machines work together to be more successful than the competition.
Innovation consulting at Drees & Sommer
The innovation consulting offer includes interactive workshop formats for clients from all sectors. The aim of the consultancy service is to give the future a face, trigger thought-provoking impulses, and work out unique solutions and strategies together with the participants in order to profit from disruptive trends. In light of this, Drees & Sommer creates a framework for looking beyond day-to-day business and working out how companies will be doing in ten years’ time. This is all in the context of innovation, adaptation, disruption, and trends that (will) move the construction industry. After the first successful launch in the residential sector, the new workshop format will also be rolled out in other areas to make customers fit for the future.
Are you interested in innovation consulting or an interactive workshop for your company?
You can find more information here: Innovation Consulting
*The EDG is a working group of the European Federation for Living (EFL), a network of housing associations, service providers, research institutes and universities that connects 70 members from 14 European countries. Drees & Sommer is an EFL member—the network makes it easier to access research, project funding, and innovation. As a market leader in innovation, Drees & Sommer sponsored the conference.