BAU brings inspiration for the future of the industry

In times of major challenges and uncertainties in the construction industry, BAU—the world’s leading trade fair for architecture, materials, and systems—presents itself as a beacon of hope for the industry. Despite the trade fair being shortened by one day, well over 180,000 visitors (2023: 190,000) came to the fully booked Trade Fair Center Messe München from January 13 to 17 to explore innovations and trends presented by 2,230 exhibitors (2023: 2,260) from 58 countries (2023: 49 countries). In addition to the number of participating countries, the international share of exhibitors also reached a new record of 52 percent.

“At the start, expectations for BAU 2025 were tempered by the challenging economic environment. However, the response from both exhibitors and visitors has been clearly positive. BAU provides courage and confidence, especially in these times,” says Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, CEO of Messe München, reflecting on BAU 2025.

Dieter Schäfer, Chairman of the BAU Advisory Board, is also very satisfied: “BAU 2025 sent a strong signal for the construction industry. Despite difficult conditions, the industry is proving its future viability through innovation, change, and drive. The trade fair provides fresh impetus and strengthens the exchange that is essential for sustainable growth and progress. Together, we are shaping the construction world of tomorrow.”

BAU demonstrates resilience and inspires confidence in the construction industry

Felix Pakleppa, Managing Director of the Central Association of the German Construction Industry (ZDB), reaffirms the role of BAU as the leading industry event: “With the key topics of transformation, homes of the future, and resource and climate protection, BAU 2025 is once again providing trailblazing ideas for the future of building. It remains an essential platform for manufacturers, planners and the construction industry to drive progress together.”

BAU 2025 focused on the key topics of “resilient, climate-friendly construction”, “transformations city/countryside/urban district”, “resource efficiency”, “modular, serial, productive” and “cost-effective construction”.

These topics capture the current spirit of the industry, says Andrea Gebhard, President of the Federal Chamber of Architects: “This year's BAU has shown that sustainability is no longer just an objective but a guideline for our actions. From innovative building materials and digital planning processes to integrative approaches for urban spaces, the diversity and quality of the solutions presented are impressive and must continue to receive strong federal government support given their importance in shaping society.”

BAU Exhibition Director Matthias Strauss thanks his team for their outstanding performance: “Despite the tough situation in the industry, we managed together to achieve a successful outcome for BAU 2025. Well done to all the colleagues!”

Over 50 percent share of international exhibitors

For the first time in its more than 60-year history, international companies made up more than half of the total exhibitors. 52 percent of the 2,230 exhibitors in total were based outside of Germany.

In addition to Germany, the countries most strongly represented on the exhibitor side at BAU 2025 were Italy, China, Türkiye, Austria, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Greece.

On the visitor side, the trend from 2023 continued with a high level of international participation. At the previous event, the share of international visitors reached 40 percent. This year, it was 44 percent. Alongside Germany, the top visitor countries included Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Türkiye, China, Romania, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Croatia.

Exhibitors and visitors give top marks

The successful outcome of the trade fair is also reflected in the survey carried out by the Gelszus market research institute, in which 95 percent of the exhibitors rated the fair as good to excellent. 91 percent also believe it has the right trade fair character. 94 percent of exhibitors gave top marks for quality, and 91 percent for the internationality of the visitors.

Visitors once again gave best marks for BAU 2025, with 97 percent of the respondents rating the fair as good to excellent.

Supporting program: special shows and award ceremonies

The five key topics were present not only in the exhibition area but also in the specialist forums and special shows. In addition, renowned architects such as Carlo Ratti, Satoshi Ohashi, Verena von Beckerath, and Elisabeth Endres gave talks at “The Future of Building” forum.

The innovative strength of the construction industry was also evident at the award ceremonies. Competitions such as “Built on IT—building professions with a future”, the Balthasar Neumann Prize and the BAKA Award presented awards to their winners in Munich.

The Founders Fight Night, a competition for start-ups, celebrated its debut at BAU. What was special about it was that the companies showcased their products in a boxing ring, with audience applause determining the winner.

The next BAU will be held in Munich from January 11 to 15, 2027. As early as 2026 (March 24 to 26), digitalBAU in Cologne will showcase solutions and products from the construction software sector.

Further statements on BAU 2025:

Andrea Alber, Chief Officer Corporate Strategy & Marketing, GEZE:
“BAU 2025 was a resounding success for us! The impressive number of visitors and the overwhelmingly positive response far exceeded our expectations. We were especially impressed by the strong interest in our innovative solutions and the in-depth discussions with visitors, which were totally in keeping with our motto ‘Achieving big things together’.”

Oliver Hartmann, Managing Director, KLEUSBERG:
“We have been exhibiting at BAU for around 20 years. This event is an integral part of the KLEUSBERG marketing strategy. No other trade fair in the German market offers such excellent conditions for planners, developers, manufacturers, and service providers to discuss the broad spectrum of construction with each other. The trade fair was a resounding success for KLEUSBERG, the provider of modular construction and space systems. We are looking forward to the next trade fair in 2027.

Guido Hörer, Sales Manager, ERLUS:
“BAU 2025 was once again a great success for us. We are extremely happy with the discussions and quality of the visitors at our stand. Overall, we can look back on a very positive trade fair.”

Martin J. Hörmann, Partner, Hörmann:
“We are extremely satisfied with the event. Given the general state of the construction industry, we had wondered beforehand what that would mean for BAU 2025. But we were pleasantly surprised: The meetings and personal discussions at the trade fair showed us how much energy and confidence there is. We take that with us as an important boost.”

Gregor Machura, Managing Director, Bauforum Stahl:
“The construction industry faces a real test: it must introduce sustainable materials and innovative technologies in order to meet the pressing demands for environmental awareness and efficiency. If builders, planners and industry do not work together, we risk creating an outdated infrastructure that can no longer meet the dynamic needs of our society. The BAU trade fair offers an opportunity to promote cooperation and communication.”

Peter Orthen / Torsten Prauser, Managing Directors, ALHO Group:
“For the second time, BAU focused on serial, modular construction as one of its key topics. That reassures us that we are making an important contribution to greater sustainability within the industry with our resource-saving, climate-friendly, and cost-effective construction methods. Thanks to platforms like BAU, we are increasingly becoming the focus of attention for developers, architects, and planners as one of the pioneers in modular construction.”