DETAIL 3.2025: Concept: Urban Housing

Welcome to the Digital Future

Virtual and digital realities are now integral to designing, planning, and constructing spaces – far more than mere devices for experiencing them. Lengthy construction workflows, optimised designs, and the complex coordination of planning, cost control, and project management are increasingly digitalised. We can now program buildings to meet parametric specifications, construct homes using 3D printing, and create detailed 3D models of existing buildings to analyse them before renovation even begins. While landscape has transformed dramatically, digitalisation in architecture is clearly still in its early stages.

To begin the year, this issue shines a spotlight on the digital present and future of architecture, exploring how digital tools can enhance sustainability. The project documentations showcase an array of approaches, from digital material passports to parametric models and BIM applications for existing structures. Experts offer insight on the complexities of planning and construction processes.