DigitalBAU2020. Trade Fair For Digitization In The Construction Industry

The new digitalBAU format will take place for the first time in February 2020 at the exhibition center in Cologne. The trade fair is intended to be a platform for software companies and industry and offers digital solutions for the entire area of the construction industry.

With the new exhibition format, Messe München is responding to the desire to support digital developments, trends and services even in the interim years of BAU. In addition to the exhibition, a comprehensive supporting program strengthens the event, which will become architects as well as engineering enthusiasts.

The digitalBAU program

The three days in Hall 7 of the Cologne Trade Fair are accompanied by a highly informative specialist program. In a total of three specialist forum discussions 40 speakers; a total of almost 90 keynote and specialist lectures, panel discussions and a start-up award are being planned. digitalBAU project manager Matthias Strauss sees this as an important added value for visitors and a positioning of the young trade fair as a dialogue platform. “Specialist planners and architects, public and private property developers, real estate operators, craftsmen, students and trainees in the skilled trades are invited to take part in the free forums. Our visitors have the opportunity to switch between the forums in order to learn as much as possible about the digital 'status quo' of the other construction partners and to exchange ideas."

An overview of the main topics:

Forum for the future of digital construction: The forum asks questions and offers solutions around the topics of BIM, data models and digital twin, "Smart Home" and "Smart Building" as well as "Data to Building".

Forum for digital knowledge and practical solutions: The focus is on the four main areas of human & process, BIM and HOAI, new business areas and industrial applications - digital processes.

Forum digital initiatives and practice-oriented solutions: The forum will take a comprehensive and neutral look at the state of digitization in the construction industry. The focus is on concrete projects and practical experience, which are divided into five workshop blocks: development, planning, building, handicraft and operation.

Start-up award for innovative concepts

Start-ups are important innovation drivers of progress in the construction industry. The digitalBAU will therefore give the young start-ups on site the opportunity to present their concepts and creative ideas at the fair. The most convincing concepts and the best implementation will be awarded by a competent and independent jury as part of digitalBAU.

Dialogue platform with network character

In addition to the specialist forums, introductory tours for trade fair visitors are offered, which are tailored to the information needs of trade visitors. The aim of these tours is to ask on-site: What does digitization mean for me personally and what effects does it have on my work and the industry? According to the wishes of the organizers, the problems should not be addressed, but solutions proposed by the exhibitors.

Initiated as a dialogue platform, the new trade fair would like to involve everyone involved in the construction. Matthias Strauss, project manager at digitalBAU: “We expect exhibitors and users to talk to each other. The special thing about digitalBAU is that we collectively ask important questions about digital developments in construction - and at the same time we can answer them in direct dialogue and at our specialist forums.”

Partners and supporters for the supporting program

The digitalBAU organizes the forums in cooperation with the architecture magazine Bauwelt, the network initiatives Planen Bauen 4.0 and Mittelstand 4.0 and the specialist portal Heinze. The individual focal points of the forum address current issues and challenges of the various target groups. Project manager Matthias Strauss: “As a dialogue platform, digitalBAU enables a one-time exchange and contact for the participants. This should be possible at the exhibition stands as well as at our specialist forums. We have found experienced partners and supporters for them.”

Industry expert Thomas Kirmayr, managing director of the Fraunhofer Construction Alliance and head of the Mittelstand 4.0 competence center for planning and construction, has a say on the digital twin. Florian Kraft, partner at Stefan Forster Architects in Frankfurt, BIM manager and managing director of the Compendium BIM + Cybernetics, will speak about the correct strategic positioning of the architectural office in times of digitalization. The program is supplemented with the expertise of specialists such as Boris Peter - architect, engineer and partner at Knippers Helbig. He talks about digitization in interdisciplinary planning processes and the associated paradigm shift. You will soon find the complete forum program and important information about the speakers at www.digital-bau.com/rahmenprogramm