The degewo Zukunftshaus (House of the Future) is a pioneering smart building retrofit project by degewo, one of Berlin's largest municipal housing companies, demonstrating how existing residential buildings can be transformed into energy-efficient, digitally connected living spaces without displacing tenants. Located in the Lankwitz neighbourhood, the project converted a typical 1950s Berlin apartment block into a showcase for sustainable building technology, proving that deep energy retrofits are technically and economically feasible for Germany's vast stock of post-war housing. The renovation included comprehensive thermal insulation of the building envelope, installation of a photovoltaic system on the roof, integration of battery storage for on-site renewable energy use, deployment of a combined heat and power unit, and implementation of smart home technologies including intelligent heating controls, ventilation systems with heat recovery, and real-time energy monitoring dashboards accessible to residents. The result is a building that generates more energy than it consumes on an annual basis — achieving the coveted Effizienzhaus Plus standard — while maintaining affordable rents for its social housing tenants. This combination of ambitious energy performance with social housing affordability makes the Zukunftshaus particularly significant in the context of Berlin's housing policy debates. The project demonstrates that climate-neutral housing and social equity are not mutually exclusive goals. IoT sensors throughout the building continuously monitor energy production, consumption, indoor air quality, and system performance, providing data that informs both building management decisions and broader research into occupant behaviour and energy use patterns. The degewo Zukunftshaus has won multiple awards and serves as an influential reference project for housing associations, policymakers, and urban planners across Germany and Europe seeking scalable models for sustainable housing renovation.
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