Sustainable urban development requires environmentally sound and efficient building concepts for public facilities and municipal enterprises. The variety ranges from office and operational buildings, to schools, sports halls, event centers, public housing and hospitals, all the way to train stations and airports.

New strategic approaches to solutions are first of all needed to implement energy-saving, low-cost buildings for the largest possible portion of the building infrastructure. This includes, for example, cost-saving models for facility management outsourcing, or privatization of the buildings themselves. Some cities are looking towards completely new, comprehensive and “green” concepts for equally functional, people- and environment-friendly building design. Here, solutions for both existing and new construction are needed.

On the technical side, there are heat-insulating, low maintenance and recyclable high-tech materials available for construction, renovation and building fixtures. Among other options for building operation are efficient air-conditioning systems and heat-recapture facilities, as well as increased use of renewable energy, for example, electricity from local solar facilities. At the same time, modern automation systems help with buildings’ efficiency and environmental footprint. This increasingly involves the use of smart measurement and control systems with networked IT. They not only control heating and indoor conditions, but also integrate an extremely wide range of modern building technology functions. These can relate to access controls, locking and security systems, escalators and elevators, as well as self-regulating lighting systems and flexibly programmable signage for complex building structures.

Public spaces have to be functional and safe as well as environmentally and socially acceptable. Equipment, maintenance, use and monitoring should be cost-effective to the same degree, however. This involves entertainment and sports venues, marketplaces, parks and gardens, streets, and central gathering places such as squares near transportation hubs and pedestrian zones in city centers.

Overall, the design of public spaces today relies on environmentally sound, energy-saving and mobile equipment that permits the flexible, multifaceted use of available space as much as possible. Along with functioning city furnishings, greater automation with increasingly intelligent and wirelessly networked systems are in demand. The spectrum ranges from solar-powered lamps and a park bench made of recycled materials, all the way to networked information systems and automatic access controls. The culmination is intelligent, interactive public spaces where users are given localized information via WLAN hotspots, smartphones and augmented reality apps, and where intelligent displays identify their observer via RFID chips so they can customize their language and contents. Integrating these and other solutions, such as mobility, creates sustainable cities/neighborhoods or huge smart events such as the Olympic games and world championships.

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