A focus on hygiene and climate protection

Trade fair means coming together – even the corona pandemic won’t change that. After the extensive development of hygiene concepts for analogue events in October 2020, Messe Frankfurt decided that ISH as the leading trade fair for sanitary, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology will be transferred to the digital space. There, too, encounters and networking are possible in many ways, as Wolfgang Marzin, Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, explains: “If we can’t hold a physical trade fair in Frankfurt, then we’ll just take it to people’s homes and focus on bringing supply and demand together, imparting knowledge and showing new impulses and solutions.”

Right now, everyone is becoming aware that the HVAC industry is part of the critical infrastructure. This is because the air conditioning and ventilation industry is helping to combat the pandemic: New technologies are being used to supply rooms and people with fresh air, thus minimising the spread of Covid-19 pathogens. Non-contact fittings are important for contact-free everyday life in public spaces. 

According to Günther Mertz of the German Association of Building Services Engineers (BTGA), there is currently an enormous need for information in the field of air conditioning and ventilation technology. “At the latest since it became known that aerosols are a path of infection, ventilation technology has gained tremendous importance. In addition, 500 million euros of funding from the German government are available for the corona-oriented upgrading and retrofitting of ventilation and air conditioning systems.” The subject of indoor air quality will therefore be comprehensively addressed at ISH digital under the motto Life-giving air, among other things, in the Air-Conditioning Forum and the Building Forum. (further topics). 

Other topics based on the trade fair DNA of Water. Energy. Life. also analyse contemporary issues: energy management to achieve climate targets, intelligent building technology with smart home and BIM (Building Information Modeling) and, last but not least, sanitation solutions for wellness and health in the bathroom.

ISH digital 2021 comprises two modules: the ISH Contactor and the ISH digital platform. The centrepiece is the ISH digital platform, the virtual live event from 22 to 26 March 2021, where all exhibitors’ activities are brought together and intelligently linked with the services offered by Messe Frankfurt. It provides the possibility to chat with exhibitors and arrange one-to-one video calls. Intelligent matchmaking facilitates the search for the right solution. 

Furthermore, the supporting programme will be available via live streaming and on-demand broadcasting. All features will be accessible worldwide around the clock during the event. This offers the opportunity to participate in lectures, product shows, presentations, special shows and much more, independent of time and place.

On top of that, the international search engine of the ISH Contactor can be used to obtain information about the exhibiting companies and their products from the fields of water, heating and air conditioning.

At the talks organised by World-Architects, the renowned architects, interior designers and building services specialists Alexander Brenner, Annelen Schmidt-Vollenbroich and Ana Vollenbroich, Barbara Runggatscher and Markus Pfeil will give insights into their projects (daily 23-26 March, 8 am). All lectures will be simultaneously translated into English. Continuing education points are requested from the architectural chambers of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin. 

On Tuesday, Stuttgart-based villa specialist Alexander Brenner talks about his recently completed private home and the “holistic approach” pursued for it. Annelen Schmidt-Vollenbroich and Ana Vollenbroich from Nidus Studio are specialists in high-quality renovations. On Wednesday, they will discuss “The bathroom in domestic culture” using their projects as examples. “Integrating and hiding the technical necessities as discreetly as possible often presents us interior designers with great challenges,” says Barbara Runggatscher from noa* network of architecture with offices in Bolzano and Berlin. Runggatscher will give insights into the network’s hotel projects on Thursday. Professor Markus Pfeil from Münster University of Applied Sciences and Pfeil & Koch Ingenieurgesellschaft will give a clear and understandable introduction to “Energy concepts – high-tech – low-tech” on Friday. 

In addition to the current interest in air purification, ISH will continue to be determined by the climate objectives of the EU’s Green Deal strategy. The EU wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 compared to 1990. Before the Green Deal was adopted, a reduction target of minus 40% still applied. This tightening of the target value also has consequences for Germany’s and Europe’s largest energy consumption sector, the heating market. Heating technology solutions and systems that can contribute to achieving the climate objectives will therefore be presented at the trade fair. 

Parallel to this, the ISH Technology and Energy Forum under the motto Green Deal ready will take a comprehensive look at the current political framework conditions in the heating market and discuss them with high-ranking representatives from politics, industry and associations. In this context, the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry (BDH) points out that in Germany alone more than 50 % of heating systems are technically outdated and require more energy than necessary. Therefore, a significantly higher modernisation rate must be aimed for. Exhibitors will therefore present the latest solutions for condensing boiler technology (gas variant with hydrogen), heat pumps, CHP systems, fuel cell heating systems, wood-fired boilers and hybrid systems for use in new or existing buildings.

It is a well-known fact that the German construction industry has so far weathered the crisis better than those of other European countries. This means that the demand for building and home technology is unabated. It is, however, shifting from new construction to renovation projects, according to the findings of a comprehensive study commissioned by B+L Marktdaten on behalf of ISH. An interesting result: the share of building and home technology in the overall investments in building construction amounts to 17.5 % – an almost constant value over the past six years. The fact that more projects are being implemented in existing building stock not only has to do with the subsidies provided as part of the federal government’s energy and climate change package, but also with the Covid-19 pandemic. Many homeowners are spending more time at home as they are working from home or short-time or are foregoing holidays. Time and money are invested in the private environment.

When asked to name the biggest challenges especially in the field of bathroom renovation, Annelen Schmidt-Vollenbroich and Ana Vollenbroich from Nidus Studio state that the bathroom is now understood much more as a living space and hence the positioning of the bathroom within an existing floor plan is a fundamental issue. “In order to create a higher quality of living in the bathroom, the positioning of the sanitaryware needs to be carefully considered. In the planning process, storage space and furniture beyond the necessary bathroom furnishings should already be considered.” These days, the bathroom is very much about hygiene, especially in public areas. Bacteria-resistant surfaces, non-contact fittings and hygienic comfort toilets help protect against viruses. The sanitary industry provides smart solutions for growing hygiene requirements – whether for hotel bathrooms, public toilets or private lifestyle bathrooms. Such solutions will be presented and discussed at the trade fair in the special show Pop up my Bathroom, among others.