NEW bauhaus 2026: These Highlights Visitors Should Keep an Eye on in Weimar

The format combines a professional congress, trade fair, and festival. Companies and startups present technologies and materials, while panels and discussions illuminate the economic and societal consequences of transformation.

Highlights Visitors Should Keep an Eye On

Sascha Lobo will speak on September 2 about how new technologies change planning, communication, and responsibility in the built environment. KUKA is a partner of the festival for the first time. Together with Thuringia's Prime Minister Mario Voigt, it will be discussed what experiences from industrial automation can be transferred to the construction industry. Under the title 'Mushrooms Instead of Cement, Wood Instead of Concrete,' the program deals with materials and construction methods that could change the resource consumption in construction. On the second day of the festival, practical experiences with digital urban development and Smart City concepts are on the agenda.

Transformation of the Construction Industry

Representatives from the Federal Foundation for Building Academy, the Federal Ministry of Building, the crafts sector, and the engineering industry will discuss at the 'Transformation Barometer Construction Industry 2025/2026' how far the change has actually progressed.

When Robotics Comes to the Construction Site

The topic of automation is likely to receive special attention. The construction industry still works in many places with highly project-oriented and manual processes. At the same time, there is a shortage of skilled workers and costs are rising. Industrial prefabrication could therefore become more important. Components such as walls or ceilings can be produced under controlled conditions and then assembled on-site. In conjunction with digital planning and robotics, processes are expected to become faster, more scalable, and better planned. KUKA introduces for the first time the perspective of an international automation specialist into the festival.

AI must achieve more than good presentations

Artificial Intelligence in Weimar is also addressed not just as a promise for the future. Sascha Lobo focuses on the consequences of digital technologies for planning and decision-making processes. It’s about transparency and responsibility, not just technological possibilities. This is relevant for the industry. Digital planning, BIM, and AI can accelerate processes and better connect information. What remains crucial is whether this actually leads to lower costs, shorter project times, or better buildings in everyday construction. This critical perspective is also addressed in a session on the second day of the festival under the title "Performance instead of promises," discussing the reality of modern building technology.

Sustainability starts with materials

Besides digitalization and automation, Weimar addresses another major construction industry issue: resource consumption. New materials, timber construction, and circular economy are intended to show where construction processes can be less wasteful. The session "Mushrooms instead of cement, wood instead of concrete" particularly emphasizes this debate. Behind this is an economically relevant question: Which alternative materials can be technically implemented but also produced on a larger scale and economically integrated into construction?

Politics meets construction practice

The fact that the transformation of the built environment has long been a political issue is also shown by the festival's lineup. Federal Minister of Construction Verena Hubertz has taken on the patronage. She will be represented at the opening by Secretary of State Dr. Olaf Joachim. The Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, and Building is contributing its areas to the professional exchange. Thuringia's Prime Minister Mario Voigt also supports the format. Thus, in Weimar, different perspectives come together: technology companies discuss with the construction industry and architects, science meets politics, and established industry players meet startups. The NEW bauhaus Festival will take place on September 2 and 3, 2026, in Weimar. The focus is on two days filled with exhibitions, discussions, and professional programs about the future of building, real estate, and society. The combination of AI, robotics, new materials, and economic reality could be particularly interesting. There is no shortage of ideas for the building of the future. What is crucial is which of these ideas make their way from pilot projects and discussion rounds into daily practice.