For decades, architecture students travelled with their professors and experts from the construction and real estate industries to the exemplary Netherlands to learn about building culture. For exactly 25 years, Germany has been actively involved in the fields of architecture and building culture.
What exactly is meant by building culture? The preamble to the Code for Building Culture states: "The term building culture encompasses the sum of all human activities that change our built environment. It concerns the architectural, functional and structural design of buildings, urban and residential development, and the shaping of landscapes, infrastructure and public spaces."
As project developers, planners, builders, owners, etc., the real estate industry bears a special responsibility for the design of our living spaces.
At the beginning of September 2025, 450 construction professionals from the fields of practice, business, politics and academia, as well as those interested in building culture, met in Bonn to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the "Architecture and Building Culture" initiative. The event was hosted by the Federal Foundation for Building Culture, the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction (BMWSB) and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR).
"The founding of the initiative 25 years ago testifies to the special commitment of a group of people from politics and, in particular, professional practice to achieve greater visibility and impact for issues relating to building culture," says Reiner Nagel, Chairman of the Board of the Federal Foundation for Building Culture. "And that has remained the case to this day."
At the anniversary celebration, Verena Hubertz, Federal Minister of Building, emphasised the importance of building culture for our coexistence: "Building culture is a social project, a continuous process and a political incentive at the same time. With its aim of aligning architecture and urban planning with people, building culture focuses on coexistence and at the same time prepares us for challenging tasks such as climate change. Building culture thus forms a foundation of our society."
Photo: © Michael Kopp, Pixabay
