Urban and Infrastructure Solutions

Sustainable places: livable, sustainable and affordable

Cities are still the preference for most people worldwide, as an environment to live and work in. However, cities around the world are undergoing fundamental change. This change must be based on our requirements: What needs will people have in the future? How do they want to live, work and move around? And how do we develop areas with a future-oriented infrastructure and sustainable business models for this? In brief: What will the city of the future look like? And what will the sustainable trajectory of this transformation look like?

Complex challenges

The experts from Drees & Sommer understand the systems of the city, neighborhood, campus, infrastructure and buildings - and how they all interact. They are also aware that cities are undergoing a demographic shift, and the effects of climate change, and are currently undergoing a far-reaching transport and energy transition, as well as being in the process of becoming a new economy or smart city. 

For us, it's always been clear that complex interacting urban systems call for interdisciplinary thinking and action.

We consider every dimension for implementation of livable locations

Energy

How do we generate, transport and store energy? How can we save energy with the help of efficient technologies? How do we ensure economic efficiency and safety? Which locations do we use to generate energy?
Water

Heavy rainfall events and dry spells present us with new challenges. How do we integrate sustainable infrastructure and sponge city principles into our cities? How do we reduce drinking water consumption, use rainwater and protect ourselves from extreme weather conditions?
Climate

How do we make global warming manageable? How do future buildings contribute to the solution with a minimized carbon footprint and – in the medium and long term – with a beneficial footprint? How do we use climate-adapted construction?
Waste and resources

How do we use raw materials properly? How do we reduce land consumption? How do we increase the use of ecological materials in interior design? How do we organize material flows in cycles - for example with Cradle to Cradle®?
Mobility

How can different modes of transport be sensibly linked to form mobility networks? How can we create the necessary structural infrastructure for new drive systems such as electromobility or hydrogen?
Urban structure and real estate

What sustainability criteria do we use to plan our cities and buildings? How do we succeed in transforming existing buildings? Will our facades all be green in the future, our roofs all energy producers? Will we all be living in high-rise buildings in the future?
Biodiversity

How do we bring people and nature into harmony - and biodiversity into buildings and cities? Do we need the edible city? What does bee mortality mean for us? Will the word urban jungle take on a new meaning?
Digitization

Entire neighborhoods and buildings, individual rooms, components or objects are migrating to the “Internet of Things”. Many new business models are emerging. How do we network large-scale structures and everyday objects?
Finances

What funding is available and what are the requirements for green bonds? How do we use this information to make urban development economical and feasible?
Society

Numerous trends are having an impact on life in the urban environment. Will we still visit shopping malls in the future or will we be delivered by drones? Will we still work in offices tomorrow or only from home?

Our approach

We view the Urban and Infrastructure Solutions as a holistic consulting approach, useful for any type or scale of built environment. Starting with the consideration of a single apartment and its value through to the design and strategy for development of entire cities and regions. 

We offer: integrated solutions applying expert knowledge in environmentally friendly technology, sustainable economics and effective transformation.

By reconciling all pertinent aspects of urban planning, we create a holistic concept to be feasible and to cover both new and existing buildings and conversions. Working together with our customers, we're designing future-proof workplaces for tomorrow.

To achieve this, we will deal with the numerous dimensions of the city, to develop cities and districts that are livable, sustainable and affordable.

Our solutions and services

Location and area development

Urban and master planning

Smart City strategy

Mobility concepts and application of charging infrastructure

Energy transition and decarbonization

Biodiversity and Sponge City

Climate adaptation concepts and sustainability strategie

ADDED VALUE

Integrated solutions from a single source to reduce the effort required for coordination and communication Combined expertise in urban planning, mobility, energy, biodiversity and sustainability for a holistic perspective and higher quality of projects