Just over a year ago, on 30 October 2025, the ‘Act to Accelerate Housing Construction and Secure Housing’, initiated by the federal government, came into force. Its centrepiece, the so-called ‘Bauturbo’, is intended to speed up housing construction through simplified planning and approval procedures. To this end, it allows for deviations from planning requirements in favour of new housing. To mark the first anniversary, the German Housing Industry Association (GdW) has assessed initial experiences with the scheme through an industry survey. The survey focused on how frequently the scheme is already being used and what time savings it actually delivers. The results, which have been reported on by publications including STERN and Handelsblatt, reveal considerable potential. Where the ‘Bauturbo’ has been applied, the companies surveyed estimated that the scheme hast shortened their project timelines by an average of 13 months.
However, in the survey conducted in September 2026, only around eight per cent of socially oriented housing providers stated that the ‘Bauturbo’ had already been used in a planning application for one of their projects. Around 92 per cent had not yet gained any experience with it. Interest in using it in the future is significantly higher. Around 31 per cent intend to use the scheme for future projects, whilst just under 48 per cent have yet to decide. The findings therefore reflect the surveyed companies’ initial experience with the scheme, but do not indicate a widespread acceleration of housing construction.
To ensure that the opportunities are utilised more frequently, the GdW is calling for clear guidance on implementation for local authorities and political backing for decisions taken at local level. At the same time, the financial viability of the projects remains crucial. Faster approval alone does not bridge the gap between high construction costs and affordable rents. The association is therefore calling for consistently low and reliable subsidised interest rates, as well as predictable long-term funding. Support is required not only for social housing but also for flats in the mid-range rental segment.
Another approach lies in simpler building standards. The GdW advocates a clearly defined legal framework for basic building standards and a practical framework for building type E in order to facilitate simple and cost-effective construction. The draft bill submitted for this purpose – which has not yet been finalised within the Federal Government – would allow contracting parties to agree on simpler building standards, under which compliance with building regulations and technical building provisions would suffice. Higher standards of quality and comfort would then have to be expressly agreed upon, which is intended to open up scope for more cost-effective construction methods. Serial and modular construction methods are also to be used more widely. Added to this are digital processes and fewer inspection and documentation requirements. This would make it easier to implement building extensions, urban densification and changes of use.
An example from Oldenburg, cited by the GdW, illustrates how faster planning approval and more efficient construction methods can work together. In the Helleheide neighbourhood, GSG OLDENBURG is preparing a further construction phase comprising 126 flats in collaboration with Goldbeck. Around 60 per cent of these are to be built with public funding. The ‘Bauturbo’ scheme is being used to allow for more storeys than provided for in the existing local development plan. At the same time, the project relies on serial construction using industrially prefabricated building components. A municipal policy decision had provided clarity on the local application of the scheme at an early stage. The project was given the green light in February 2026. This example clearly illustrates the contribution that close coordination between the city and the developer can make.
“Berlin provided the boroughs with guidelines on how to apply the ‘Bauturbo’ as soon as it came into force. This was an important step towards providing early guidance for the administration and project developers. It is now crucial that the new scope for manoeuvre is utilised more fully in specific projects. In Berlin and the surrounding area, boroughs and local authorities can help to drive projects forward more quickly through clear decisions and close coordination with developers. This creates planning certainty and facilitates investment decisions. To ensure that faster approvals translate into affordable housing, the right conditions for construction and financing must also be in place.”
