On 19 and 20 November, the 4th Climate Festival for the Building Transition took place at the STATION Berlin – two days packed with insights into sustainable construction, future-proof materials and strategies to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis. Under the motto “Together, we are transforming the construction industry. Sustainably.” the festival offered more than 100 lectures, keynotes and panel discussions. Our Sustainability Department – represented by our DGNB auditors Andreas Welz, Matija Horvacki and Maximilian Mayr – attended the event and took away numerous impulses for our work.
A central topic was the question of how the construction sector can actively bind CO₂. Using biogenic building materials and timber construction, CO₂ can not only be reduced, but also stored long-term. Organisations such as Openly and myclimate demonstrated how this storage can even be monetised – currently at around €85 per tonne of CO₂. In combination with DGNB certification, this opens new perspectives for building owners and investors.
The association BiB – Building in the Existing Fabric presented practical tools, templates and decision-making aids that support planners and building owners in realistically evaluating existing buildings. The message was clear: Demolition must be questioned more critically – and is rarely necessary.
The grey energy contained in existing buildings is a significant advantage compared to new construction. Combined with targeted refurbishment measures, climate targets in the building sector can be achieved faster, more economically and with fewer resources.
Another focus was on circular interior solutions. Particularly impressive were the spelt-based acoustic panels by PREFORM, which offer natural sound absorption while being fully Cradle-to-Cradle certified. Reusable, stapled fabric covers that can be returned to mono-material recycling streams showcased how consistently some manufacturers are now thinking in closed-loop systems.
Earth was one of the major topics at the festival. Load-bearing earth masonry constructed with thin-bed mortar enables efficient construction up to compressive strength class GK 5. The research house No. 4 by Florian Nagler Architects in Bad Aibling and the GEMA administrative building are impressive examples: thanks to the thermal storage capacity of earth, indoor temperatures remain stable at around 23°C even when outdoor temperatures reach 35°C – without any mechanical cooling.
A wide range of approaches demonstrated how broad the understanding of sustainable construction has become:
The contributions by Dr Myriam Rapior, Dr Ewa Szymczyk and Jurek Brüggen were particularly insightful. They illustrated how closely biodiversity, the urban microclimate and the transformation of existing buildings are interconnected. Future-proof cities emerge not solely through energy-efficient buildings, but through ecological resilience, diverse urban nature and design decisions that support these processes while placing people at the centre.
The Climate Festival made one thing clear: Timber is well established, and renewable materials such as straw and earth can follow if the industry adopts them with similar confidence. CO₂ storage is becoming a measurable factor, and synergies between building physics, thermal comfort, natural materials and certification are increasingly tangible. Above all, attention must remain on the existing building stock – and on the ecological qualities of our cities.
For us, the festival was a valuable source of inspiration. Many of the topics discussed already shape our daily consulting work, and we look forward to continuing this path together with our clients.
