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The Constructivist Episode 6: Dirk Salewski on why energy efficiency fails without people
02 Sept 2026, by All3
Why have CO2 emissions from Germany's residential building stock not fallen despite 20 years of regulation?
In Episode 6 of The Constructivist, Wulf von Borzyskowski speaks with Dirk Salewski, Managing Partner of beta Eigenheim and President of BFW Germany, about the human factor in energy efficiency, reversing the planning process, and the disappearance of private small-scale landlords.
Salewski brings a dual perspective to the conversation - as a construction entrepreneur with almost four decades of practical experience and as president of one of the industry's largest associations.
The episode explores why regulation misses its target when there is no real impact control, Salewski's principle of planning backwards from the finished product, and municipal planning sovereignty as a barrier to serial construction.
He also discusses what 37,800 expired building permits in a single year says about the financing reality in residential construction.
Dirk Salewski was born in Hamm in 1966 and has worked in the real estate industry for more than 35 years. He is Managing Partner of beta Eigenheim- und Grundstücksverwertungsgesellschaft in Bergkamen-Rünthe. Founded in 1977, the company has developed into the market-leading property developer in the Dortmund/Kreis Unna/Hamm region and surrounding area.
In parallel, Dirk Salewski has been active for many years in the BFW NRW state association and in the BFW Bundesverband Freier Immobilien- und Wohnungsunternehmen. He joined the BFW board in 2010 and was elected President in May 2022.
Watch the full episode here:
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