Project of National Research Programme NRP 81 at Swissbau

It is that time of year again: From 20 to 24 January 2026, representatives from the construction industry, the real estate sector, public administration, politics and research will meet at Swissbau in Basel. When the trade fair was last held in 2024, over 52,000 visitors came together to find out about the latest trends. For several years now, the Swissbau Focus event platform in Hall 1 South has been offering a wide range of events that provide in-depth insights into various topics related to the construction industry.

From the 70 or so podiums, panels and presentations, we would like to highlight one event in particular: One of the projects of the NRP 81, "Shaping Baukultur" (NRP 81), led by Prof. Nina Mekacher from Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH, will take centre stage on 21 January as the Main Event in the Arena from 2 to 3 p.m. Jean-François Steiert, State Councillor of the Canton of Fribourg and President of BPUK (Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Building, Planning and the Environment), was invited to speak on the panel entitled "Solve the housing shortage with the existing building stock?".

The event is being organised under the auspices of SIA (Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects), which is actively involved in the research project through Claudia Schwalfenberg (Head of Core Topics). She will moderate the panel discussion with SIA President Susanne Zenker, design ethnographer Merle Ibach and Pascal Hendrickx from the SIA's specialist group for the preservation of buildings.