Interview with Vincent Bub, student at the EBS University and representative of the winner team in the Real I.S. Innovation Award’s Best Proptech NEXT category.
The Real I.S Innovation Award is conferred annually to students who show special initiative and commitment and have innovative ideas for the real estate market. A team of the EBS University convinced the expert jury with Shapeshift – a B2B concept for flexible living space in modular design – and obtained a price in the Best Proptech NEXT category in 2022. Vincent Bub (aged 25), bachelor student at EBS University of Business and Law and representative of the Shapeshift team, presents the design and speaks about his experience in connection with the award.
Mr Bub, congratulations again on winning the first prize in the category Best Proptech Next. How did the idea behind the Shapeshift concept arise?
Vincent Bub: The concept was developed during the Real Estate Innovation & Entrepreneurship course of study at the Real Estate Management Institute of the EBS University of Business and Law. But the original idea behind Shapeshift dates from the time when I worked for a start-up company in Berlin. At the time, the company had its offices in a shared space. That means that we could hire office space there and that the area could be adapted to the individual spatial needs of the commercial tenants by using partition walls. After that, I was haunted by the question of why that sort of system is not yet available for residential premises. There, too, the individual spatial needs are very varied. The circumstances of our lives change over time, and this also affects the demands we place on the size of our living accommodation. Instead of our living space changing to suit our circumstances, we constantly adjust our lives to suit the available space. These considerations led to the idea of developing modular, serial and sustainable residential construction which would adapt to suit the needs of the residents.
That sounds exciting, but what would the practical implementation of this concept actually look like?
Vincent Bub: If ‘shapes’ are produced in the form of container units, their modular and serial design can then be used to create residential accommodation to suit the actual demand quickly, and in ways that can be individually adapted. The standardised residential modules are about 26 square metres in size. Each unit offers everything that is needed: a bathroom with a shower, a kitchen unit and a sleeping and living area. One of the advantages of the standardized size is that the individual modules can be easily transported by lorry, rail or ship. The ‘shapes’ are also equipped with walls which can be folded down, which enables the units to be combined and linked together. Depending on the need, units of 26 square metres can be combined to provide 52 or even 78 square metres of residential space. Conversely, the residential space can then be reduced again when less space is needed. The greatest challenge when people move to a new town or city is looking for accommodation. That is where our project comes in, with its concept of inexpensive assembly and connecting and splitting residential modules. When a person has to move, it is even conceivable that they may no longer need to find a new flat because they could simply take it with them if it already meets their needs.
What practical applications can you see?
Vincent Bub: We want to offer affordable residential accommodation which can also be flexibly configured. This is possible with our concept because the ‘shapes’ are designed to be standardised and made of lightweight materials. This means that they can quickly be erected – even on unused roofs or other open spaces such as car parks or currently unused spaces such as old industrial complexes. With their standard sizes, our modules are also interesting for young people such as students or apprentices whose living circumstances may change quickly. A further possible application of our concept could especially be to provide aid in an emergency, for example if people have lost their homes due to war or natural disasters. For this purpose we have developed a smaller variant of our shapes with an area of 18 square metres. These units could quickly and easily be transported to places affected by natural disasters to provide temporary homes for people whose homes have been destroyed.
Could you briefly describe your experience in the context of the Real I.S. Innovation Awards?
Vincent Bub: The six people in our project team, consisting of Germans and international exchange students, were brought together by the EBS University of Business Studies and Law. This meant that we had a very mixed team with different approaches and different ways of thinking, which led to a productive and imaginative way of working. Our work on the project was both exciting and challenging. We were given great scope to develop the underlying idea of the project and think it through to its logical conclusions. The university and Real I.S. both offered regular support, but in the last resort it was the responsibility of the team to prepare a practical business plan with which the Shapeshift project could really be implemented in practice.
This all-round experience was very beneficial for everyone in the team – both for our skills and for our personal development. Working on this project was a very special experience, especially because of the opportunity to work with Real I.S. in Munich and gain an insight into the processes in such a large real estate company with its focus on the urban location. We are very grateful for this experience.
What can we expect from Shapeshift in the future?
Vincent Bub: We are convinced that our idea can be implemented in the future and can meet the challenges of the residential market. Today, however, there are still numerous obstacles, for example in various building law provisions, which make an implementation in Germany more difficult. These circumstances – in conjunction with the uncertainty caused by the expected changes in the new Building Energy Act and the difficulties in the current market situation – have led our team to conclude that the time is not yet ripe for the practical implementation of Shapeshift. We do not yet know exactly what the future will bring, but we look forward with eager expectation to what will come. In any event, we are already aware that we will need the support of experienced partners in any implementation of our concept, so we also look forward to further discussions on this subject with Real I.S.
Last question: how important do you think innovation is for the real estate sector at the present time?
Vincent Bub: In the current situation, innovation is more important than ever because of the drastic changes in the market environment, on the one hand with rampant inflation and rising construction costs and on the other hand with the increasing demands placed on the real estate sector. This especially applies to the concept of sustainability with its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) requirements. To some extent, however, these goals conflict with long-established business models, so new solutions are urgently needed. Innovative concepts such as Shapeshift could offer solutions to this dilemma and help to reconcile sustainability with the profitability of new building projects. Innovations such as our project are therefore important on the whole as a stimulus, or even for the development of the real estate sector, and also ideally to improve the provision of residential accommodation.