
Baden-Württemberg -
where Smart City and sustainable development go hand in hand
Experience how innovation and interdisciplinary knowledge sharing shape the urban spaces of tomorrow
Cities of the future will use digital technologies in order to be especially sustainable. For the construction industry and urban planners, Baden-Württemberg is the ideal place to make this vision of a Smart City a reality. The 26,000 architects as well as more than 200,000 engineers who call THE LÄND their home provide a solid foundation for this scenario.
Together with tradespeople and companies, they offer unique construction and planning expertise. Many of them are pursuing the concept of the Smart City with resource and energy-efficient building, sustainable mobility, environmental protection and healthy living – all areas in which Baden-Württemberg is particularly strong. The International Building Exhibition (IBA) 2027, which will take place in the Stuttgart Region, will showcase to the industry the region’s extensive expertise and its vision of living, housing and working in the digital age.

Why Baden-Württemberg is ideal for your expansion plans:
THE LÄND is not only a location for renowned architecture and planning offices with international operations. There are also many other companies that shape the construction and property sector. The industry generates revenue of more than 20 billion euros annually and works with modern digital methods such as Building Information Modelling (BIM). This refers to holistic planning and construction with a constant focus on a building’s entire lifecycle.
A project in Heidelberg is demonstrating what this could look like in practice. The Kraus Group built a 3D-printed server building there in early 2024 made from 100 per cent recyclable materials which is Europe’s biggest 3D project.
The advantage: The powerhouse for sustainable development in THE LÄND will lend additional momentum to your projects.
New urban spaces are emerging through collaborations involving science, business and innovative technologies. Vibrant clusters and networks are driving this interdisciplinary collaboration forward. One example is the “ena – european network architecture”. It comprises more than 50 high-profile architects, expert planners, manufacturers and service providers working on groundbreaking solutions for the design of Smart Cities.
Through its Baukultur (building culture) initiative, the government of Baden-Württemberg is strengthening local players and global partners to make the cities of tomorrow more sustainable and more liveable – for example with green mobility or renewable energy sources.
The advantage: You will benefit from knowledge sharing between companies, universities and renowned architecture offices.
Research and science offer significant economic impetus in Baden-Württemberg, and this is also true of sustainable development. One flagship project is the demonstrator high-rise building at the University of Stuttgart. Thanks to its intelligent design, it will save 50 per cent in resources and emissions over its lifecycle. The university set up Germany’s first Cluster of Excellence for architecture in 2019. Experts from the University of Stuttgart also developed a new way of building using concrete that saves materials and reduces harmful emissions as a result.
Excellence calls for the right minds. This is why the universities in the state are producing graduates in technical vocations. The number of people in THE LÄND working in engineering grew 75 per cent between 2013 and 2023.
The advantage: You will have an excellent research and education landscape as a basis for your success.
Become part of THE LÄND
Join Baden-Württemberg ...
... and expand your business in an innovative and fast-growing environment!
