Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung

The tasks of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning

The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) is a higher federal authority responsible for federal building measures. The BBR’s tasks include the supervision of construction activities of the Federal Republic of Germany in Berlin, Bonn and abroad as well as research on building, urban affairs and spatial development.

Construction management

The BBR's construction departments are responsible for important federal construction projects. These include buildings for the constitutional organs as well as for the highest federal authorities, cultural and research institutions. The BBR monitors the construction measures from the initial idea, through the competition and awarding process, as well as construction supervision up to the completion and handover of the keys. This applies to the extension of a federal ministry as well as to large cultural buildings. Projects in the BBR’s area of responsibility also include construction projects abroad, for example for embassies, German schools or Goethe Institutes.

Departmental research

As a departmental research institution, the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), as part of the BBR, advises the Federal Government on tasks relating to housing, property and building as well as urban and spatial development. The Federal Energy Commissioner is assigned to the BBSR. The institute's diverse research topics range from energy-optimised and sustainable construction to social urban development. Among numerous other publications, the BBSR is also responsible for the Spatial Planning Report, which provides information on fundamental economic and demographic developments and focuses on important social issues in the context of spatial development. The annual report “Forschung im Blick” (Research at a Glance) provides an overview of the institute's research topics.

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