Research Center Building and Design

The Research Center Building and Design offers interdisciplinary expertise on tasks in civil engineering and architecture, with a focus on the life cycle and sustainable construction. The spectrum of application- and practice-oriented research covers the requirements of the entire construction industry. The research center focuses on structural engineering, resilient cities and infrastructure, automated construction, sustainable architecture, contextual construction and innovative building materials, designs and construction methods.

Department

Building and Design

Research Areas

Energy, Mobility and Infrastructure

Inclusive, Social and Secure Society

Sustainability and Design

Focal Points

Structural engineering

Structural engineering is the supporting structure for all our building construction, civil engineering and structural engineering projects. As part of research projects, we deal with issues of sustainable, durable and resource-saving supporting structure design as well as the evaluation of existing supporting structure.
In this context, the focus is also on the further development of durable and resource-saving materials and their targeted use in buildings. The further development of design standards in combination with experimental and numerical investigations to improve resource consumption as well as their targeted evaluation and repair are further core areas of the research center. The use of digital methods and the application of artificial intelligence are also issues that will be investigated on an interdisciplinary basis. All research questions are carried out with particular reference to sustainability and resource conservation in order to reduce emissions.

Resilient city and infrastructure

The world is facing major challenges due to the effects of climate change. Our cities and municipalities and their infrastructure are increasingly affected by unexpected natural events that cause extensive damage and loss of life. Climate-resilient cities and municipalities therefore require an increasingly resilient infrastructure, as the potential dangers of flooding, heavy rains, heat waves, etc. are increasing. Austria, with its alpine topography, is particularly affected by these impacts in many regions. The focus of research is therefore on the investigation of sustainable construction methods, green technologies, efficient energy and water use, unsealing and renaturation as well as robust transportation and communication systems that reduce the risk of endangering people and the environment and increase the resilience of our infrastructure. Through integrative planning and participatory processes, cities and municipalities can become more resilient and at the same time improve the quality of life of their inhabitants.

Automated construction

Automated construction is making significant progress in the construction industry through the use of new technologies such as concrete 3D printing or the highly automated production of timber components based on parametric planning. The use of automated process chains can lead to a significant reduction in the use of resources through the individualization of static-constructive building elements, thus making a significant contribution to the ecologization of the construction industry. As part of this topic, the research projects focus on the development, generation and investigation of processes with regard to efficiency and practicability. Furthermore, the processes are to be developed with particular reference to increasing efficiency and quality in the construction industry and the findings derived from this will contribute to optimization.

Sustainable architecture and contextual building

The contextual consideration of architecture in its natural, built and socio-cultural environment is a basic prerequisite for the development of sustainable architectural concepts. Central research topics are the extension of the lifespan of existing buildings through innovative renovation concepts, the optimization of site selection, the development of future-oriented building typologies and the flexibility of usage structures. Further research focuses on regenerative building materials and sustainable energy systems in building operation. The focus is on examining the entire life cycle of a building with the aim of consistently transforming the current linear orientation of the construction industry into a circular one.

Innovative building materials, designs and construction methods

Innovative building materials, designs and construction methods include sustainable methods that take into account the entire life cycle of a building and minimize environmental impact. The research focuses on the reduction of grey emissions generated during the production, transportation and installation of building materials, as well as a more efficient use of resources through intelligent floor plan configurations and the selection of optimal designs and construction methods in connection with architecture, statics, building physics and costs, as well as production possibilities, logistics and process coordination. In addition, prefabricated and adaptable systems and flexible building typologies are explored with the aim of extending the life of buildings and building components by reusing them, while reducing construction waste and construction times.