Regional added value through architecture and building culture in the Lake Constance region - management economies in the field of creative industries CE_ARCH

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Type and Duration

IBH-Förderprojekt, January 2020 until December 2021

Coordinator

Institute of Architecture and Planning

Main Research

Sustainable Planning and Construction

Field of Research

Sustainable Urban Design

Description

What regional added-value is created through architecture in Lake Constance? What influence does the building culture have on regional identity? How do architects and creative actors act within the entire economic complex? Where are the corresponding knowledge and innovation clusters located? These are the central questions that this research project examines. As the second-largest branch of the creative economy in the Lake Constance region, architecture is particularly predestined for analysis. The architecture industry is competitive; in it, the crucial questions about sustainable business - keyword: circular economy - and about spatial and technological development - keyword: smart living - are decided. Against the background of structural change, architecture also plays a key role in the region's cultural self-image, attractiveness and quality of life. Nevertheless, this industry is highly mobile and flexible due to its project-based way of working. In order to attract and retain these specialists for the Lake Constance area, an attractive regional work environment is required, which also needs to have a well-functioning network across regions and across borders.

The aim of the study is to provide an industry-specific analysis of the regional importance and added value of architecture in Lake Constance. It should show which creative ecosystems architects are embedded and where and how they become drivers for regional and global innovation. To this end, the impulsive effect of architectural projects with regard to cultural, social, ecological and economic developments should be considered. The empirical basis for this is collected on the one hand through a statistical research approach. On the other hand, a qualitative approach is selected through a series of case studies, network and stakeholder analysis. The close cooperation with the practice makes it possible to raise questions of value attribution and practices from an internal perspective and to discuss them against the background of regional self-image and sustainability. Networking in and with the practice in Lake Constance serves as an analytical framework and it creates the possibility of directly involving actors from the sub-regions in the project. For the Lake Constance region, the answer to the question of the relationship between architecture, sustainable management, technology and cultural identity is relevant. The study provides insights into economic dynamics, competitiveness and innovation. And by means of exemplary projects, it shows the added social value of architecture, which it develops by dealing with future issues of living and business and which creates an identity-creating impact for sustainable and environmentally conscious development and quality of life. It thus offers clues to shape the structural change actively.

Keywords

Creative economies, Regional added value, building culture in the Lake Constance region, sustainable management

Project Manager

Partner

Project Leader