In its latest episode, ARD’s *Morgenmagazin* addressed one of the most pressing socio-political issues of our time: housing construction. Alongside Federal Minister of Construction Verena Hubertz, Eike Becker—recently awarded the 2026 German Construction Prize—was interviewed on the topic of building codes and standards. Here is an excerpt:

Till Nassif (Host)

For you as an architect, building codes are fundamentally important. Are they a useful tool for ensuring quality—or have they become more of a cost-driving constraint?

Eike Becker (Architect)

For many years, we have worked intensively to develop high construction standards and continuously improve them. In this regard, we have become very efficient. Currently, however, we are seeing that the multitude of standards and regulations has reached a point where it is making construction increasingly difficult. We’re great at optimizing, but now we have so many standards, so many rules, and have optimized so much that we simply can’t build anymore—and that needs to change.

Sabine Scholt, ARD Capital Studio

In this interview, the Federal Minister of Construction explains the implications this has for policy.

Verena Hubertz (Minister of Construction)

Over the years, construction in Germany has become increasingly complex, slower, and therefore more expensive. We want to reverse this trend.

A key approach is the so-called building type E. The “E” stands for “simple” or “experimental”. The aim is to deliberately forgo certain requirements that are possible, but not absolutely necessary. 

Heated stairwells in residential buildings are one example. Here, the question arises whether the benefit justifies the expense. Such standards drive up costs and should be critically reviewed. 

Source: ARD Morgenmagazin, 24.04.2026