Sustainable planning and building have become a key issue in architecture. Climate change, resource depletion and economic crises are also increasingly forcing architects and planners to question traditional methods and solutions. In recent years, research institutions and universities, as well as architecture and engineering companies, have started to seek new concepts for the implementation of sustainable architecture and urban development. Münster School of Architecture held a series of symposia in summer 2011, in which these topics were debated extensively with international experts. The publication Building the Future provides a summary of the scope and significance of current concepts. The aim is to present a comprehensive overview of approaches to sustainable building and their implications. The contributions by renowned authors represent the current status of research in this area and suggest innovative approaches and solutions for the architecture of the future. With contributions by Nadir Abdessemed, Matthias Böttger, Vanessa Miriam Carlow, Sebastian El Khouli, Jesko Fezer, Dominique Gauzin Müller, Martin Haas, Hans-Dieter Hegner, Gerhard Kalhoefer, Edward T. H. Liu, Soeren Nielsen, Günter Pfeifer, Martin Prominski, Philippe Rahm, Eike Roswag, Joachim Schultz-Granberg, Herman Josef Wagner et al.