Sustainable and cost-efficient retrofitting and planning. Rising energy prices pose a great challenge to private individuals and companies. At the University Kaiserslautern-Landau, a team from the fields of building systems and building technology as well as real estate studies creates energy concepts for buildings that are newly planned or retrofitted for clients from industry and business. In doing so, it always takes into account the economic efficiency, makes a risk assessment and includes new technologies in order to be as…
A team of researchers at the University of Kansas School of Engineering has partnered with U.S. federal agencies in a push to reinforce American dams and levees nationwide using fiber-reinforced polymers, sensors, artificial intelligence and drones. The $7.7 million, five-year project is a partnership between KU, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Work at KU is headed by Caroline Bennett, Dean R. and…
… control light incidence. Controlling light and heat radiation through windows and glass facades at the push of a button, saving energy and still maintaining a clear view? Switchable electrochromic films that turn dark but remain transparent are expected to make this possible in the future. The fact that this can also be retrofitted in existing buildings is to be demonstrated by the joint project “EnOB: FLEX-G 4.0 – Technologies for innovative switchable films as a retrofit solution for energy-saving…
Starting signal for new Christian Doppler laboratory at Graz University of Technology in Austria. Sustainably produced concrete mixtures from mineral residues and waste materials could partially replace Portland cement-based concrete in the future, especially in application environments prone to corrosion such as sewage systems, biowaste plants or tunnel drainage systems – for Cyrill Grengg from the Institute of Applied Geosciences at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), this is not only an achievable goal, but also makes economic and ecological…
At the BAU 2023 trade fair, Fraunhofer UMSICHT will present innovative solutions for the construction of the future at the joint booth of the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance (Hall C2, Booth 528) from April 17 to 22. Energy and CO2 can be saved with the new lightweight resource-saving glass-foil roof coverings; a vertical water retention system absorbs precipitation water and stores it directly so that overloading of the sewer system and flooding in heavily sealed areas can be avoided. In…
… could help buildings react to changing environments, save on energy costs. University of Toronto Engineering researchers create bio-inspired system that can optimize the wavelength, intensity and dispersion of light reaching building interiors. University of Toronto Engineering researchers have developed a multilayered fluidic system that can reduce the energy costs of heating, cooling and lighting buildings by optimizing the wavelength, intensity and dispersion of light transmitted through windows. The platform was inspired by the dynamic colour-changing skin of organisms such…
A special show by the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance at BAU 2023 in Munich. What does it look like, the building of tomorrow? How can the challenges associated with climate neutrality, resource availability, and affordability be overcome? At the BAU 2023 trade fair in Munich from April 17 to 22, the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance (Hall C2, Booth 528) will be displaying promising concepts and innovative solutions from its various member institutes. Germany plans to be climate-neutral by 2045 –…
Nature in city environs has a positive effect on people’s well-being. At the same time biological diversity in urban areas continues to shrink, for example because of increasing building density. In the “Ecolopes” project, researchers led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are searching for specific solutions which will make it possible to create green infrastructure with a higher degree of biological diversity in urban areas. As a key discipline, architecture has a considerable influence on the built areas…
… and how we can prevent it. Detailed model highlights how important girder end design is for improving resilience. Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have carried out a detailed simulation showing how a common type of bridge fails during large-scale earthquakes. They modeled “I-shaped girder” bridges, looking at the step-by-step mechanism by which they yield and deform under lateral forces, starting at the ends. Reinforcing ribs were shown to be effective against lateral forces and improve load-bearing capacity. Their work…
Effective thermal management with programmable materials. Energy is scarce – and like all scarce things, it comes at a price. That is why Germany needs to greatly reduce its energy consumption. There is significant potential for this in the area of heating and cooling energy which accounts for a large proportion of Germany’s energy consumption. Innovative materials that can be programmed to control heat transition can be a valuable tool in this scenario. The use of materials like these could,…
Strongest increase since 1990 in Europe. Despite many efforts to curb urban sprawl, it continues to progress dramatically. From 1990 to 2014, urban sprawl increased by 95 percent worldwide. During this period, the built-up area grew by an average of around 1.2 square kilometres (more than 160 football fields) every hour. This is the result of a joint study by scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden (Germany) and Concordia University in Montréal…
Architects from HTWK Leipzig show how solar modules can be integrated aesthetically and efficiently into curtain-type concrete and aluminum facades. Using solar energy on the walls of buildings – that is one goal of the Leipzig Institute of Architecture (ai:L) at the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig). From November 15 to 17, 2022, the ai:L team will present its solar facades Solar.shell and Solar.con, developed in research projects, at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. Prof….
Researchers identify the main obstacles preventing efficient digital transformation in the engineering and construction industry. In recent years, the engineering and construction industries have been exploring the use of digital technologies to boost productivity and improve safety, quality, and sustainability. However, digital transformation in this industry has been slow compared to other sectors due to certain obstacles. In a paper recently published in the journal Engineering, Construction, and Architectural Management, researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and the University of Lincoln…
An international research team led by drone expert Mirko Kovac of Empa and Imperial College London has taken bees as a model to develop a swarm of cooperative, 3D-printing drones. Under human control, these flying robots work as a team to print 3D materials for building or repairing structures while flying, as the scientists report in the cover story of the latest issue of Nature. 3D printing is gaining momentum in the construction industry. Both on-site and in the factory,…
Engineers at RMIT University have developed a method to use disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) to make concrete stronger, providing an innovative way to significantly reduce pandemic-generated waste. The RMIT team is the first to investigate the feasibility of recycling three key types of PPE – isolation gowns, face masks and rubber gloves – into concrete. Published in the journals Case Studies in Construction Materials, Science of the Total Environment and Journal of Cleaner Production, the studies by RMIT School…
Until now, noisy and power-guzzling building dryers have normally been the only way of repairing water damage to apartments from leaking pipes or following heavy rain and flooding. The “FastDry”® technology developed by Fraunhofer researchers requires significantly less energy and works at least as quickly as conventional systems. The idea that underpins the technology is incredibly simple. Damp walls are a massive problem. Moisture compromises the indoor climate of living spaces and encourages the growth of mold that is hazardous…
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