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Can modular construction really deliver faster, affordable housing for European cities?
Join the EFL Construction & Architecture Topic Group Meeting – Berlin, 22–24 April 2026
Across Europe, housing providers are facing the same urgent challenge: we need to build faster, more sustainably and above all more affordably — while dealing with labour shortages, rising construction costs and increasing social pressure.
The question is no longer if we need innovation in construction, but how quickly we can scale it. Modular and serial construction are increasingly seen as key to this transition. In the Netherlands, for example, prefab housing already represents more than 20% of all new residential construction, with expectations of significant growth in the coming years — proving that industrialised building methods are moving from niche to mainstream.
This is exactly why the EFL Topic Group Construction & Architecture meeting in Berlin matters.
Hosted by Gewobag, the event brings together housing associations, developers, experts and practitioners to explore one core question:
Can modular construction accelerate delivery and improve affordability in European cities?
Over two intensive days, participants will:
- Gain direct insights into current market developments and innovations through keynote contributions and expert discussion.
- Visit real construction sites in Berlin where modular and serial approaches are already being implemented.
- Exchange practical experiences with peers on cost control, industrialised construction and affordability strategies.
- Discuss what works — and what doesn’t — when scaling new building methods across different national contexts.
- Learn how innovation in design, biobased materials and automation is reshaping European housing delivery.
This is not a theoretical conference. It is a working exchange between practitioners who are facing the same pressures in their own cities.
A European challenge needs European perspectives
We like to invite in particuar members from the UK, France, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark , Germany and Finland — yet the challenge of delivering affordable homes quickly is equally pressing in these countries.
Every housing system is different. That is exactly why your perspective is needed.
- How are your organisations controlling costs?
- Is modular construction becoming part of your strategy?
- What barriers do you face in procurement, regulation or design?
- Where do you see real potential — or limitations?
What’s in it for you?
- Practical lessons from real projects and construction sites
- Peer-to-peer exchange with fellow experts
- Inspiration for faster delivery models and affordability strategies
- Direct connections with organisations experimenting with new methods
- Ideas you can take home and apply immediately
Join us in Berlin The urgency is clear. The solutions are evolving rapidly. And the best way to understand them is to learn directly from those already implementing them.We warmly invite you to join us in Berlin and help shape the European conversation on cost-efficient and innovative housing delivery.