After three intensive days at EXPO REAL in Munich, Drees & Sommer draws a positive conclusion: Whether existing buildings, sustainability, user focus or building type E - the real estate industry deals with the important topics of the future at its leading exhibition.
From October 7 to 9, 2024, the motto at the Drees & Sommer booth was “Renaissance is Real - a new era for you assets”: We believe in the opportunities that lie in existing buildings. Around 85 percent of buildings in the EU are more than 20 years old. For reasons of sustainability alone, it is important to make the best possible use of this potential.
The top topics at the exhibition
Steffen Szeidl, CEO of Drees & Sommer, assesses the mood at the industry meeting: “The real estate industry is emerging from the trough, but the construction sector is still facing the most difficult times. As a result, the issue of sustainability is currently being emphasized in many projects. However, this is cutting corners in the wrong place. If a consistent decarbonization path continues to be neglected, property portfolios are threatened with massive losses in value in the medium to long term. If we want to achieve the climate targets, the sector must not let up on its commitment to climate-friendly solutions for new and existing buildings.”
Finding sustainable solutions that combine ecology and economy and pay off in the long term - this is and remains a top issue in the real estate industry. Other aspects that moved the industry at the 2024 exhibition were the focus on users, dealing with existing buildings and simpler, experimental construction - keyword building type E. The experts at Drees & Sommer's own stand and on various panels in the trade fair program - including on life science real estate, corporate real estate management, smart city and data centers - proved that Drees & Sommer stands for these topics. In line with the motto “GET REAL!”, they develop sustainable solutions for today and tomorrow - and implement them.
Renaissance literally - even at the stand itself
Turning old into new also applied to Drees & Sommer's trade fair stand. The same construction consisting of a steel frame and LED strips has been in use since 2019. This year's façade with arches consisted of panels that the stand builder originally wanted to dispose of. However, the User-Centric Spaces and Places team responsible for the stand concept rescued them from the dumpster, rearranged them and gave them another life. After Expo Real, a social institution will convert the panels into seating cubes.
The exhibition stand is inspired by the Cradle to Cradle® design principle. The experts from EPEA - Part of Drees & Sommer created a Circularity Passport that shows the recyclability of the materials used.
We look forward to taking the energy of EXPO REAL with us into the final months of the year.