New Era in German Building Policy on the Horizon, Minister Says
Berlin, Germany – Germany’s new Building Minister, Verena Hubertz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has signaled a paradigm shift in the country’s building policy, promising a mix of clever regulation and support to drive the industry forward.
In an interview with the Rheinische Post, Hubertz emphasized the need for a new approach, stating, “I want to use the new drive in the building industry to support the sector with a mix of clever regulation and promotion.” The minister sees the upcoming Tag der Bauindustrie (Building Industry Day) as a signal that “in Germany, the future is being built again – with wood, concrete, mortar and cement, in a serial and modular way and as quickly as possible.”
Meanwhile, the Union’s building policy spokesperson, Jan-Marco Luczak, has called for a radical simplification of the rules for building in Germany. “We need to build something other than an expensive gold standard that makes housing unaffordable” Luczak told the Rheinische Post. He advocated for a system in which buildings only need to meet general requirements set by state building codes, focusing on structural integrity, public safety and order, as well as the fundamental requirement for buildings to be free of defects from a civil and building law perspective.
Luczak’s proposal is a radical but effective step towards making building in Germany more affordable, he believes.