Tigewosi: Lowering Housing Costs with Serial Construction & Land Access

The Tiroler Gemeinnützige Wohnungsbau- und Siedlungsgesellschaft mbH (TIGEWOSI) is recalibrating its strategy to address rising costs in the Tyrolean housing market, with a particular focus on land prices. Newly appointed co-CEOs Edgar Gmeiner and Florian Rangger are betting on serial construction methods to reduce building expenses by as much as 10%, according to reporting from TT.com. The move comes as the company prepares to deliver eleven residential and municipal projects encompassing 366 units across Tyrol in 2026.

Land Costs: The Primary Obstacle

Gmeiner, who has been with TIGEWOSI for 26 years and assumed the role of commercial managing director on December 1, 2025, emphasizes that affordable housing in Tyrol is fundamentally constrained by land availability and cost. “Without affordable land, You’ll see no affordable housing costs,” he stated in an interview with TT.com. The company’s approach hinges on securing land at more reasonable prices, a challenge that requires collaboration with municipalities. Gmeiner notes a growing willingness among local governments to partner with TIGEWOSI, sometimes offering land rights for a nominal fee – as little as one euro per year in some instances.

This shift in municipal attitudes is crucial, as the Tyrolean housing subsidy program already caps land costs for non-profit developers like TIGEWOSI. Securing favorable land deals, becomes paramount to delivering on the promise of affordable housing. The company’s success will depend on maintaining these collaborative relationships and leveraging the “Contract Space Ordinance” – an agreement between municipalities, landowners, and developers – to secure affordable plots.

Serial Construction: A Path to Efficiency

Alongside land acquisition, TIGEWOSI is turning to serial construction to drive down costs. Florian Rangger, the technical managing director who joined the company on January 1, 2026, explains that this approach involves standardization across the acquisition, planning, and implementation phases. “That doesn’t signify that all buildings look the same, but you can use scalable planning concepts,” Rangger told TT.com.

The core of serial construction lies in prefabrication – manufacturing building components off-site and assembling them on location. This process promises to shorten construction times, improve quality control, and ultimately reduce costs by up to 10%. TIGEWOSI is currently piloting this method on two projects in the greater Innsbruck area. The company’s experience in building, administration, and project development, combined with Rangger’s background as a building surveyor and certified expert, positions it to effectively implement this new approach.

The Broader Tyrolean Housing Landscape

TIGEWOSI, founded in 1949, operates across all districts of Tyrol, and its efforts are particularly relevant given the region’s unique housing dynamics. The combination of high demand and limited land availability creates a challenging environment for affordable housing development. The company’s commitment to delivering 366 units in 2026 – spread across Absam, Hall, Innsbruck, Fügen, Kufstein, Rum, Schwaz, and Telfs – represents a significant contribution to addressing this need. MeinBezirk.at reports that TIGEWOSI intends to focus on both affordable housing and municipal projects.

The company’s strategy likewise responds to a cooling in the commercial real estate sector. Gmeiner notes that the decline in demand from commercial developers has reduced competition for land, leading to a decrease in inflated prices. “When owner-occupied apartments are offered for more than 10,000 euros per square meter, that only serves a very narrow segment of demand,” he explained.

Administrative Hurdles and Regulatory Simplification

Beyond land costs and construction methods, TIGEWOSI’s leadership recognizes the importance of streamlining administrative processes. Rangger advocates for reducing overregulation and accelerating approval procedures as key steps toward lowering housing costs. The “Gebäudetyp E” concept – borrowed from German pilot projects – offers a potential solution. This approach prioritizes simplicity, efficiency, and experimentation by reducing planning and execution complexities, standardizing components, and minimizing non-essential comfort and equipment features.

What’s Next for TIGEWOSI

The immediate focus for TIGEWOSI is the successful implementation of its serial construction pilot projects in the Innsbruck area. The results of these projects will be critical in determining the scalability of this approach and its potential to drive down costs across future developments. The company will also continue to cultivate relationships with municipalities to secure favorable land deals and advocate for administrative simplification. Further details on the company’s projects and activities can be found on their official website: TIGEWOSI. The success of these initiatives will be closely watched by stakeholders across Tyrol’s housing sector, as the region grapples with the ongoing challenge of providing affordable housing for its residents.