Federal Building Culture Guidelines for Germany
Client
Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Construction & Federal Institute for Building, Urban and Spatial Planning
In cooperation with
Inpolis Urbanism
Multiplicities Berlin
Anneke von Holst
Studio QRfeld
Our services
Structuring and formulating the guidelines / Conception and moderation of expert participation.
The Challenge
Baukultur refers to the way we shape, build, transform and maintain our built environment. As a cross-cutting topic, it touches nearly every aspect of daily life and raises fundamental questions for politics, society and urban development: How do we want to live together in the future? How can we balance the demand for new housing with the need to protect resources and the climate? And what role do quality, beauty and identity play in creating resilient and liveable places?
Between 2022 and 2024, urban tactics founder Simon Wöhr contributed to the development of Germany's Federal Building Culture Guidelines on behalf of the Federal Government. As part of a five-member consortium, he brought the perspective of urban practitioners and helped shape a unifying narrative for the future of Germany's built environment.
The Tactic
Building on extensive research and a comparative analysis of European architecture and planning policies, the consortium developed a shared framework for high-quality planning and construction. The process addressed value-based, spatial and procedural dimensions of building culture and translated them into actionable guidelines.
Through a series of iterative workshops, expert panels, thematic working groups and interministerial discussions, stakeholders from across Germany and Europe contributed to the development of the guidelines. The process culminated in a national conference at Berlin's Haus der Statistik in spring 2024, where the draft guidelines were discussed and refined with a broad professional audience.
The Result
Adopted by the Federal Cabinet in November 2024, the Federal Building Culture Guidelines establish Germany's first nationwide framework for high-quality planning, architecture and urban development.
The guidelines support federal, state and local governments in embedding design quality, sustainability and social cohesion into planning and decision-making processes. As a strategic reference point for future funding programmes, investments and regulatory frameworks, they help shape the future of Germany's built environment.
Published by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), the guidelines are available nationwide and serve as a shared foundation for public-sector planning and development.
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Download (publikationen-bundesregierung.de)
Photos: Konstantin Börner
