A full-scale timber home will be built live throughout the exhibition, giving visitors an insight into every stage of modern wood-frame construction.
Visitors to LIGNA 2027 will be able to watch the construction of a full-scale timber home from start to finish as part of a new feature highlighting modern timber construction.
Running from 10 to 14 May, LIGNA.Builds will see a residential building erected step by step at the trade fair’s open-air site, from the foundation slab through to the topping-out ceremony. The project is being organised in partnership with Holzbau.Tech, with scientific oversight provided by Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences.
Located next to the Expo Roof, the live construction site will allow visitors to follow every stage of the building process. Unlike a demonstration structure, the completed home will later be dismantled, transported to its permanent location and reassembled for its future owner.
Stephanie Wagner, head of LIGNA at Deutsche Messe, said the idea emerged during the early planning stages for LIGNA 2027.
“We wanted to create something that every LIGNA exhibitor and visitor could relate to. It needed to have a tangible, highly visible connection to the industry while also leaving a lasting legacy,” she said. “That led to the idea of constructing a house live during the trade show, bringing together the expertise of multiple technology and material partners.”
Demonstrating the timber construction process
Timber construction is emerging worldwide as one of the most important solutions for meeting the demands of sustainable building. Short construction timelines, a high degree of prefabrication, resource-efficient materials and digital manufacturing processes are making the sector a key driver of innovation across the construction industry.
LIGNA.Builds is designed to showcase the complete wood-frame construction process, from digital planning and engineering to industrial prefabrication and on-site assembly. Visitors will see not only individual machines and products, but also how technologies interact across the timber construction value chain.
Another key aspect of the project is that LIGNA exhibitors will be actively involved on site throughout the trade show. They will supply materials and tools, and manufacture individual components on their machines in the exhibition halls. Depending on the size of the elements, they will either be transported to the construction site overnight for safety reasons or, where feasible, moved live during daytime exhibition hours.
Prof Andreas Heinzmann, managing director of Holzbau.Tech, said: “We are very pleased to be a project partner of LIGNA.Builds. The initiative impressively demonstrates the capabilities of modern timber construction today. It combines digital processes, industrial prefabrication and skilled craftsmanship into a holistic experience that visitors can directly follow and experience on site during LIGNA at the exhibition grounds.”
“We are already in discussions with the end customer, the prospective building owner, as the structure will be dismantled after LIGNA, transported to the customer’s site and reassembled there, allowing subsequent construction phases such as roofing, building services installation and interior finishing to be completed,” he added.
“LIGNA.Builds is therefore a highly sustainable project,” Heinzmann further explained. “For us at Holzbau.Tech, this represents full-circle project delivery, which aligns perfectly with our core corporate philosophy.”
Alongside the live build, the LIGNA.Builds Village will provide a village-style exhibition space with wooden pavilions for companies involved in timber construction, while the returning LIGNA.TruckStop will showcase power tools, fastening technology, hardware and wood-based materials from show trucks and vans through live demonstrations and technical presentations.
Together, these will form a new hub dedicated to timber construction, connecting manufacturers, architects, planners, contractors and other industry professionals.
