BAU 2017:building for the future

The BAU 2017 will take place on the premises of Messe München from 16 to 21st of January 2017. Organized by the Messe München GmbH， on 185，000 square meters exhibition space the BAU presents architecture， materials and systems for commercial and residential construction， as well as interior design of new and existing buildings. Every two years this event brings together market leaders from the sector to participate in a unique international display of competence spanning all the construction trades.

For many years the BAU has been fully booked. Also the next BAU in January 2017 will take up the entire venue of the Messe München. The BAU 2017 will again be host to more than 2000 exhibitors from more than 40 nations. The share of exhibitors from abroad is expected to be around 30%. In terms of the visitors， the organizer’s goal is to reach at least 250，000 visitors from the industry， and is striving to further increase the share of international visitors.

Increasing international profile

Over recent years the BAU has honed particularly its international profile. Especially international companies show a high demand for space on the fairground. With 637 companies it set a new record number of international participants in 2015.Almost every third exhibitor was from abroad， and exhibitors from 41 different nations.

The development of visitors from the industry is similar to the development of exhibitors. In 2015 the exhibition managed for the first time to break through the magic number of a quarter of a million visitors. At the same time it welcomed 72，000 visitors from abroad， which also set a new record. This is a share of around 29%.

Key Themes shine into the future of the building industry

For the BAU 2017， the organizer defined four key themes. Many exhibitors will provide solutions for those， and also the forums and special shows address these key themes.

· Intelligent fa？ade

Today fa？ades are multifunctional systems which have to meet increasingly complex requirements. They have to be optimised for energy efficiency， sustainability， and re-cycling compatibility. Recent development in these technologies are various and fascinating - and the challenge for architects and consultants， as well as for manufactur-ers of building products.

· Digital planning， building， and operating

Digital building technology sets standards for future architecture. Aside from that， computer supported manufacturing opens up an enormous economic potential： from the scheme via site logistics and building operation to recycling. This means weighing the risks and opportunities of a digitalised planning， construction， and operating chain.

· Linked buildings

Digitalisation and linking of building services can help to optimise， for instance， the reduction of energy costs， and the improvement of security and comfort. Not only the building itself is in the network， but it is becoming easier to link various buildings， up to whole districts in an intelligent digital network.· Building and living in 2020

How are we going to live， dwell and work in five， ten or 20 years？ What we are building today creates living and work spaces for the next decades. The increase in living space required today calls for intelligent concepts which can be implemented quickly.

The Long Night of Architecture

An absolute highlight is the “Long Night of Architecture” that was organised for the first time for the BAU 2011. In 2017 it takes place again as part of the BAU， and this is on Friday 20th of January. The organizer wants to use this event to build a bridge from the trade fair BAU to the city of Munich， and all citizens interested in architecture.

The long architecture night leads you to the most beautiful and famous buildings of the city. Experiencing the mood of the city at night time bears its own special charm. Apart from this， there is also a guided walk through the inner-city. The organizer will also offer themed tours， exclusively for BAU exhibitors and visitors. Every tour addresses a topic represented on the BAU. The themed tours start at the trade fair grounds.

New hall space offer new exhibiting opportunities

One of the biggest challenges Messe München have faced during several leading trade fairs， is that the entire hall space is fully booked. Just for the BAU there are currently more than 400 companies on the waiting list. To prevent these bottlenecks incapacity grow even more severe， and to be able to meet all customer requests in the future， Messe München is currently building two new halls. From 2018， Messe München will have a hall capacity of 200，000 square meters， and these are 20，000 square meters more than before. This also opens up new perspectives for the BAU and its exhibitors.