Architecture and Construction
Design as a boost for renewable energy
Solar cells as design objects now adorn the façade above the main entrance to the NEST building of Empa and Eawag. The design is the result of an interdisciplinary competition…
Packages to simplify deep renovation of buildings
A European project led by Eurac Research has developed standard solutions suitable for every climate zone. The starting point is a modular prefabricated wooden façade that can include insulation and…
Towards a novel material culture
Maison Fibre of the University of Stuttgart at Biennale Architettura 2021. In response to the exhibition theme “How will we live together?”, the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD)…
How the Building Sector Can Achieve Its Climate Targets After All
With the currently adopted climate protection measures, Germany will neither achieve its previous, nor the more stringent European, climate protection targets in the building sector by 2050. Two roadmaps from…
New type of ventilator for virus-free air
The danger of becoming infected with the coronavirus is especially high in enclosed spaces. This is because aerosols – which play a key role in the transmission of COVID-19 –…
Could Clay Buildings on Mars Become a Reality?
TU scientists are studying clay minerals found on the Red Planet On 18 February 2021, the Mars 2020 Mission will finally land on the Red Planet. The Mars Perseverance Rover…
Electricity from the house wall
The great potential of building facades to capture solar energy Roofs are not the only suitable places for installing photovoltaic modules to generate electricity from the sun’s rays. Facades could…
Solar technology with the beauty of butterfly wings
Photovoltaic and solar thermal systems are not always considered aesthetically enhancing to a building. The coloured modules, however, being developed at the Fraunhofer ISE are refreshingly challenging this perspective. Inspired…
Digital assistant for building owners
Estimating the cost of a major construction project is complicated and time-consuming. That is why a Fraunhofer team developed a tool that makes the planning process and cost estimates in…
Fungus as a sound absorber
Sustainable soundproofing As healthy and tasty as mushrooms might be, they are good for much more than just the dinner plate. The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology…
