Housing is one of the basic human needs and people often express their individuality by owning their own homes including the interior furnishings. However, the functions of commercial or public uildings should also come up to the standards of contemporary living since many people spend a great deal of their time in them. Cultural, technical and economic changes closely interact with the design of our construction and residential environment. This is the reason why the way buildings and rooms are constructed and furnished is closely associated with issues of materials research.

All classes of materials touch upon building and living issues: inorganic and metallic materials, materials made of regenerative raw materials such as timber and natural fibers, modified natural materials such as cellulose and starch products, without forgetting new types of wood-derived materials and the wide range of synthetic plastic products. The Fraunhofer institutes have a technical depth of expertise and longstanding experience that allows them to cover the entire diversity of new materials.The research agenda of the Fraunhofer institutes are in tune with enhanced utilization of our raw materials and improvement in the quality of the products made from them while encompassing surface treatment, safety and ecological qualities.

The Fraunhofer institutes focus on developing new materials and production processes while simulating and testing the behavior of components and outlining ways to ensure environmental protection, recycling and disposal. Theyare also active in the field of quality assurance, e. g. by testing and assessing new or already existing construction materials and buildings.

New materials and components also allow the development of new, individualized and costeffective ways of building and living. Currently the trends in »building and living« center on four areas:

• new materials and production technologies
• constraints for future building and living as given by the requirements of saving energy and maintaining sustainability
• preserving and renovating existing buildings
• ecological aspects of healthy living and of recycling