"Improving the diversification of housing options and promoting space-saving living" is one of 17 key action areas defined by a working group of the academy initiative Energy Systems of the Future (ESYS) in its impulse “How Can the Energy Transition in the Building Sector Succeed? Key Areas for a Socially Viable Transformation”. The publication primarily focuses on "Worst Performing Buildings" (WPB) — i.e., buildings with the lowest energy standards. It also analyzes who is particularly affected by changing energy or housing costs and what solutions exist to counteract excessive burdens.
The adaptation of existing buildings plays a central role in the diversification of housing offers and the reduction of land consumption. Many people remain in apartments that are too large because there are no suitable or affordable alternatives (remanence effect). Targeted conversion activities can create new forms of housing that adapt to changing needs - be it through flexible floor plans, communal living or multi-generational households.
The experts suggest the following as possible measures:
Conversion with flexible floor plans – Existing buildings should be redesigned to allow apartments to be more easily divided or combined. This enables living spaces to better adapt to different life stages. Creating age-appropriate housing is particularly important to help older people to move to a more suitable form of housing.
Structures for housing exchange and relocation – To facilitate the move into housing that better meets individual needs, more advisory and service offerings are required. These include home exchange platforms or programs like “Wohnen für Hilfe”, where unused living space can be sublet. At the same time, the age-appropriate modernization of existing apartments should be promoted to make more living space accessible for older people.
In addition to conversion, communal forms of housing such as cooperative living or co-housing could also contribute to the more efficient use of living space. These should receive greater support to enable a more sustainable use of living space in the long term.
Our working group “Urban and Neighborhood Development” looks at topics such as how living space can be optimally distributed and which intelligent conversion solutions can be implemented. This includes examining the potential of flexible housing models, adapting to usage requirements, and the question of which stakeholders need to be involved in planning processes.
About the ESYS Impulse
Greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector play a crucial role when it comes to achieving climate neutrality within the next 20 years in Germany. Climate targets affect all residents in terms of energy and housing costs as well as possible high investments for renovations. In the ESYS impulse “How Can the Energy Transition in the Building Sector Succeed? Key Areas for a Viable Transformation” focuses on ‘Worst Performing Buildings’ (WPB) in existing buildings - i.e. the buildings with the worst energy standard.
Since most of the energy in buildings is used for heating, two technical measures are key: improving insulation and switching to climate-friendly heating systems. At the same time, the heat transition is strongly influenced by social and societal factors, which must be considered. In order for climate protection measures to be accepted and supported, it is important to avoid social hardship. A sustainable heat transition must therefore take both ecological and social aspects into account. The impulse deals with three key focus areas, identifying a total of 17 action fields to implement and accelerate a socially and ecologically sustainable heat transition.
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