Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

Schwörerhaus, for example, has the bathroom produced as a module, finished and ready, in the factory; this is lifted into position with a crane.

Interesting. That’s a concept I know from Japan. So, that the bathrooms/wet rooms are often a fixed unit that is installed as a whole. (I don’t know how common that still is today; my knowledge is a bit older.) When I last googled it (probably about 2 years ago when we started getting more into houses) their prices were already significantly below what is calculated here for a bathroom. (Even though, of course, that also has a large range.) But in Germany, I hadn’t really found anything like that except in the hotel sector, where it is common to have many identical bathrooms.

The modular construction method has been driven very far by Schwörerhaus, but somehow you don’t hear anything about it anymore. For example, Schwörerhaus produces the bathroom as a fixed and finished module in the factory; this is then lifted into position by a crane.
There is even a hotel that was built this way.

The same applies to the facade, which is plastered in the factory and on site only the joints are sealed. But as long as the small local construction company is cheaper, this will never catch on.

That’s exactly what I meant. In articles like this, it’s always implied that modular building is much faster and cheaper. But in the end, Schwörerhaus wasn’t especially affordable either. Of course, that was also because they charged heavily for every extra, and the standard of the "Edition Extra" is actually more like an Edition Less. I can gladly do without the circulation pump, but if I only have air heating and then spend a fortune on underfloor heating + heat pump, then someone else will quickly overtake me. Then the low base price of the promotion houses doesn’t help anymore.
And regarding the construction time, nothing concrete was told to us, only evasive answers. And regardless of that, the problem for me as a customer is that the time from signing to moving in matters most. A faster construction time does me no good if I have to wait a year in advance for the scheduling.

That is exactly what I meant. Articles like that always act as if modular construction is much faster and cheaper.

It is - if there were a market for it in the private sector. But since everyone builds so individually, it is not worth it. It is (still) a niche product.

Modular construction is done in: for example, hotels (bathrooms for a long time, now entire rooms - in the business sector they are only a few square meters like at Motel One, B&B, etc.), apartment buildings (student apartments and similar), and of course in the cruise ship sector. There, 1,000 units are produced at once, all identical and then only placed into the empty building shell. Nowadays also in timber modular construction.

That’s also the case - if there were a market for it in the private sector. But since everyone builds so individually, it’s not worthwhile. It’s (still) a niche product.

Modular construction is used in: e.g. hotels (bathrooms for a long time, now entire rooms - in the business sector just a few square meters like Motel One, B&B, etc.), apartment buildings (student apartments and similar) and of course in the cruise ship sector.
There, however, 1,000 units are produced at once, all identical, and then simply placed into the empty building shell. Nowadays also in timber modular construction.

Kindergartens, schools, healthcare facilities, office buildings / factory halls ... in these areas it is also quite in demand.

Modular construction is used in: for example, hotels (bathrooms for a long time, meanwhile entire rooms – after all, in the business sector they are only a few square meters like at Motel One, B&B, etc.), apartment buildings (student apartments and the like), and of course in the cruise ship sector.
But then 1,000 units are produced directly, all identical like two peas in a pod, and just inserted into the empty building shell. Nowadays also in wooden modular construction.

The Paradies dormitory here in Konstanz is also built from stacked modules. It even won a prize. Obviously, someone miscalculated there, because the building is known for curved walls in the lower floors. Despite alleged savings of 30%, the subsequent dormitories were then built with Gisoton. Whatever the exact reason was, modular building does not seem to be a self-runner even in such cases.

Federal Minister for Construction Klara Geywitz (SPD) admits that the government will not reach its targeted goal of 400,000 new apartments this year. "It will take some time until we have expanded the production capacity from the current 300,000 to 400,000 apartments," Geywitz told the "Handelsblatt" (Thursday edition).

"But once we have achieved that, it will indeed be a considerable boost." Geywitz explained that business, associations, unions, and politics have jointly identified 187 measures that should be tackled to accelerate construction in Germany. The alliance could not focus on just one question. "For example: How can something be built as cheaply as possible on a field? Just like in the 1970s in housing construction, where mass was quickly created with a lot of concrete," Geywitz told the "Handelsblatt". Today, it has to be "smarter." At the same time, climate protection must be kept in mind. One of the most important decisions, according to Geywitz, is the digitization of the building permit process. However, "the complete digitization in building authorities will not happen by the turn of the year." As another essential decision, the minister referred to procurement law, which in the future will allow for time-limited negotiated awards of contracts without prior publication. There will also be restricted tenders without participation competition and the option to commission a general contractor. "Additionally, we are making it easier to convert former office spaces into apartments," the SPD politician told the newspaper. "This is resource- and space-saving - and it also happens quickly."