Thanks to the Emscher Park International Building Exhibition and its director Karl Ganser in the Ruhr district, striking proof of the high standard of quality demanded of “Buildings for Industry, Trade, Commerce and the Craft Trades” (title of a competition of the Federal Ministry for Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development) can be found in the Ruhr district, which for many years has been a focal point of structural and urban renewal: the Rhine-Elbe Science Park in Gelsenkirchen (Kiessler and Partners, 1994), the Technology Park and Center for the Future in Herten (Kramm & Strigl, 1995), the North Rhine-Westphalia Ecology Center in Hamm (Hegger, Heg-ger-Luhnen and Schleiff, 1995) and the Innovation Center in Herne (Vladimir Nikolic, 1995). Since 1989, for the first time in the history of building exhibitions, the theme has been a complex regional renewal program with three core areas: reclamation of landscapes, development of attractive locations for business and industry, and new living. By the time the program is presented in the year 1999, additional important projects will have been realized after competitions, projects that for decades were of little significance in the Federal Republic of Germany’s largest industrial area.

Despite the great variety and considerable scope of the building tasks shouldered by the public and private sectors, housing construction - which represents more than 50 percent of construction volume - remains the most formidable challenge of the future.