idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding a new Research Training Group (RTG) run by the universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg with 7.1 million euros. The RTG focuses on bio-inspired building envelopes that respond flexibly to weather and light conditions, thereby reducing the energy required for building operation.
In the latest funding round, the DFG approved the new Research Training Group "RTG 3123 BioBuild – Bio-inspired Materials and Systems for Responsive Building Components."
Research Training Groups offer doctoral researchers the opportunity to pursue their doctoral degree studies within a structured research and qualification program at a high academic level. Within the RTG "BioBuild", which is positioned at the interface of architecture, engineering, and the natural sciences, 20 doctoral researchers will be funded over a period of five years. The first doctoral research projects begin in April 2026.
Spokespersons for the RTG are Professor Jan Knippers, Head of the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (itke) at the University of Stuttgart, and Professor Jürgen Rühe from the Institute of Microsystem Engineering (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg.
Energy efficiency in building operation – with façades that respond to the weather.
Responsive building envelopes are at the core of the RTG. These adapt dynamically to environmental conditions such as temperature, light, and humidity, thereby reducing the building’s energy requirements for heating and cooling. “With the RTG "BioBuild," we are building on previous research successes. The goal is to further enhance the performance of bio-inspired, responsive building envelopes using new material systems,” explains Jan Knippers.
The focus is primarily on shading systems. Until now, these have been based on rigid mechanisms. This means, for example, that individual elements of a blind can only move or rotate along straight axes, limiting their ability to fully adjust to the sun’s position. "We are researching innovative components that can flexibly change their shape and respond autonomously to environmental conditions,” says Jan Knippers. "We achieve this by developing compliant mechanisms based on reversible elastic deformation.”
"We are also focusing on new material systems", says Jürgen Rühe. So-called responsive materials change their shape autonomously in response to external influences. Using these materials in responsive building envelopes partially eliminates the need for complex control systems and reduces energy consumption, manufacturing costs and maintenance requirements.
Smart mechanisms and materials – inspired by nature
Nature serves as the main source of inspiration, particularly pinecones. They adapt to the weather by opening or closing their scales depending on the humidity. In doing so, they move extremely flexibly and are resource- and energy-efficient. The RTG studies these movement principles and applies them to the development of new components for responsive building envelopes. "Our new materials and mechanisms also have a wide range of potential applications beyond this – in construction, aerospace, and the automotive industry,” says Jürgen Rühe.
In addition to developing new components, the researchers are also focusing on their industrial production. They are investigating how the ecological footprint of responsive building envelopes can be reduced through the use of bio-based materials.
Synergies through interdisciplinarity
In the RTG, architects, engineers, and natural scientists conduct research in close interdisciplinary collaboration. The qualification program, which all doctoral researchers complete, includes not only a variety of specialized seminars but also modules on effective interdisciplinary communication.
With the Research Training Group “BioBuild”, the universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg build on a long-standing, successful interdisciplinary collaboration in bionically inspired architecture. In the field of responsive building envelopes, the partners have already developed several joint systems, including FlectoLine and Solar Gate, which have successfully undergone long-term real-world testing. The RTG combines the University of Stuttgart’s expertise in computer-based planning and construction for architecture, consolidated in the Excellence Cluster "Integrative Computer-Based Planning and Construction for Architecture" (IntCDC), with the University of Freiburg’s expertise in materials science and biomimetics from its Excellence Cluster "Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems" (livMatS)".
Prof. Dr. Jan Knippers, University of Stuttgart, Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (itke), tel.: +49 711 685 83280, email: jan.knippers@itke.uni-stuttgart.de
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rühe, University of Freiburg, Institute of Microsystem Engineering (IMTEK), tel.: +49 761 2037160, email: ruehe@imtek.de
https://www.itke.uni-stuttgart.de/
https://www.itke.uni-stuttgart.de/research/built-projects/flectoline/
https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/solar-gate/
https://www.intcdc.uni-stuttgart.de/
https://www.livmats.uni-freiburg.de/en
At the core of the RTG "BioBuild" are new components for bio-inspired responsive building envelopes. ...
Source: itke / ITFT
Copyright: University of Stuttgart
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