Construction industry association open to 3D printing in house building

Incoming orders down

There is hardly any relief in sight for the crisis-ridden housing construction sector. Construction costs are now so high that many housing cooperatives and municipal companies, for example, have put new projects on hold.

According to the association, the total volume of new orders received in eastern Germany from January to May 2024 fell by a nominal 0.9 percent to 7.53 billion euros. "This was again slightly below the already low level of incoming orders in 2023 (EUR 7.6 billion)," said Momberg. Massive declines continued in building construction. However, half-year figures were not yet available.

Construction industry: insolvencies a cause for concern

In the new federal states, the number of insolvencies in the construction industry has risen continuously since 2020, according to the association. In 2023, it reached its highest level in five years with 255 cases. It is particularly worrying that insolvencies in the new federal states rose further to 74 cases in the first quarter of 2024 - an increase of more than 27% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. "The continuous increase in insolvencies since 2021 shows that the industry is increasingly under considerable economic pressure."

The Construction Industry Association East represents the interests of around 260 construction companies with around 20,000 employees in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.

In Germany, significantly fewer homes could be built in the coming years than recently. The Munich-based Ifo Institute expects the downturn in the sector to continue. The experts predict that only 175,000 new homes will be built in 2026. That would be over 40 percent less than the almost 300,000 apartments in 2022.

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