BAU 2017 Munich: World’s Leading Trade Fair for Architecture, Materials ans Systems

On January 16 -21, 2017, over 2,000 exhibitors from more than 40 countries again presented everything that’s applied in planning and building. Especially among architects from all over the globe, the world-leading trade fair BAU in Munich is regarded as an indispensable source of information and inspiration.

BAU’s universal, multidisciplinary approach makes it the industy’s most important meeting point for all those who are involved professionally in planning and building: from investors to planners and architects to tradespeople and building operators. 

The 17 exhibition halls of BAU are arranged every year according to building materials and product and thematic areas. In addition, there are key themes which are newly specified for each BAU in consuktation with the exhibiting industry. The key themes of BAU 2017 are:

intelligent facades;

digital design;

construction and management,

smart buildings;

living and building 2020.

BAU is regarded as the world’s leading trade fair for architecture: for planners, architects and construction engineers from throughout the world, it is the number one information and communication platform. At no other event in the world is this visitor group represented in such numbers and so prominently too. For BAU 2015, 65,000 visitors came from architecture and planning offices - ten years before, the figure was just 25,000. Held in such high esteem among planners and architectures, BAU has an absolutely unique selling proposition. 

And BAU 2017 again provided numerous offers specifically for architects:

In the three forums of the fair (C2, A4 and BO), there were different daily topics that were oriented to the key themes. The variety of topics was huge: smart building materials, BIM, modular construction, easy tech - lowcost etc. The speakers in the forums were independent experts from all over the world, including representatives from well-known offices like Jean Nouvel, Paris; SOM, New York; Nikken Sekkei, Tokyo; David Chipperfield, Berlin; and KSP, Frankfurt.

The special shows at BAU were also aimed essentially at planners and engineers. Here BAU works together with partners from research and science. For the special show ‘’CityLaboratory: R & D ideas for designing spaces’’, that’s the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance. Its 14 institutes presented their current research and developement work for urban centers: building that respond to their users and simultaneosly ‘’think’’ in terms of energy efficienty, facades with properties that have a positive influence on the indoor climate - and much more. 

As part of BAU, numerous architecture awards were also presented; these include the Bauwelt Award ‘’First House’’ and the DETAIL Award. The Archi-World Academy Award, a competition for young architects and architecture students from all over the world, is a highlight. Twelve star architects, who also make up the jury, offer six-month internships at their offices. Once again, more than 1,400 young architects from across the globe have applied to take part.

In addition, BAU is a platform for premiers. The exhibiting industry gears the developement of ita new products to the cycle of BAU.

Daiva I. Petrosiene