Future-proof logistics real estate requires integrated solutions

Automated processes, growing energy demand, and ambitious sustainability goals are changing the requirements for logistics and industrial sites. Anyone investing today must plan buildings, technology, data, and operations as a single system. From November 17 through 19, BUILDINX 2026 in Dortmund will bring together the experts who translate this integration into feasible projects.

Real estate is becoming part of the operational strategy

Whether it’s a distribution center, a manufacturing facility, or a brownfield site, a location’s performance isn’t determined solely by transportation technology and software. Available grid capacity, charging infrastructure, technical building systems, space efficiency, and digital connectivity all influence throughput, operating costs, and scalability. For logistics service providers, shippers, and industrial users, real estate thus becomes an active component of their supply chain strategy.

This raises specific questions about investment. How do you modernize an existing building without shutting down operations? What building structure allows for future automation steps? How are energy supply, fire safety, sensor technology, and building automation coordinated from the outset? And how do you combine ESG goals with profitability and resilient processes?

Overview of the Entire Life Cycle

BUILDINX brings together all the relevant perspectives in one place. Project developers, investors, construction companies, planners, component manufacturers, and technology providers meet with logistics service providers, retailers, industry representatives, and operators. The offerings range from site development, financing, new construction, and renovation to building services, energy solutions, digital systems, facility management, and efficient operations. Trade visitors can align their requirements, compare solutions, and speak directly with suitable project partners.

The integrated curriculum translates market demands into practical applications. Topics on the agenda include logistics real estate with rail connections, energy as a competitive advantage, multi-story building concepts, ESG in existing buildings, smart lighting, and digital twins in industrial construction. Financing, investments, and the development of data center locations will also be covered. The program segment ‘China: Unlocking EU Logistics Real Estate Opportunities’ places international location strategies and project requirements in the context of the European market.

The German logistics association, Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL), is helping to shape the conference program through its logistics real estate working group. eco – Verband der Internetwirtschaft contributes expertise on digital infrastructure and data centers. This brings together topics that are closely linked within projects but are often still treated separately within organizations.

From the Benelux to the German and European markets

For trade visitors from the Netherlands and Belgium, Dortmund serves as an easily accessible gateway to the German market and to European partners. The compact combination of the exhibition floor, professional program, and networking opportunities makes it easier to discuss technical questions, identify market requirements, and turn initial contacts into concrete next steps.

A single ticket grants access to all three days of the trade show and offers the flexibility to combine meetings and program events as desired. The Executive Lounge provides additional space for discussions at the decision-maker level; the BUILDINX Get-Together on the first day of the trade show extends the networking into the evening. In this way, BUILDINX offers a focused platform for everyone who views logistics, industrial, and data center real estate not as isolated entities, but as part of powerful and future-proof value chains.