Research into robotic prefabrication of a locally differentiated clay-fibre composite material system
The project combines the established research approach of gradient concrete with traditional earthen construction methods and their functional variations involving aggregate and straw additives, as well as current approaches to horizontally spanning earthen components with integrated biogenic tensile reinforcement.
| Facts | |
| Funder: | Baden-Württemberg Stiftung gGmbH |
| Programme: | Ideas competition – Sustainable Construction Research |
| Overall budget: | €98.900,00 |
| Grant amount: | €98.900,00 |
| Role KIT: | Project Lead |
| Project duration: | 12 months |
| KIT researchers: | DDF – Digital Design and Fabrication |
Advancing Sustainable Building Practices in Europe
The Horizon Europe project INBUILT promotes circular construction by integrating digitalisation and the reuse of locally sourced materials. It develops prefabricated wall elements made from reclaimed wood and biogenic materials. The project addresses barriers such as contaminants and metal impurities, and establishes on-site testing and grading processes for recovered timber. Reversible design enables repair, reuse and long-term carbon storage, extending timber lifecycles by up to 200 years.
| Facts | |
| Funder: | European Union |
| Programme: | Horizon Europe (Built4People partnership) |
| Overall budget: | €9.4 million |
| Grant amount: | €7.3 million |
| Role KIT: | Project partner |
| Project duration: | Dec. 2023–May 2027 |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Andrea Klinge, Felix Dingeldein, Natascha Steiner |
Project partners
Consortium of 16 partners, including: Université Côte d’Azur (coordinator), CEA, University of Stuttgart, KIT, Leipfinger-Bader GmbH, ITeC, Indresmat, Heinrich Feess GmbH & Co. KG, Baltifloc SIA, Filiater, Greenovate! Europe, Biofab Zero, Lux Façade Engineering, Eskilara, Terrasense.
Urban Mining im Seriellen Sanieren
As many buildings predate modern efficiency standards, the revised EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) strongly focuses on existing stock. In Germany, the current renovation rate lies at roughly 1.07%, falling short of the 3% needed to meet climate goals, highlighting the need for innovative renovation strategies. UMiSeSa focuses on the serial renovation of typical university frame buildings from the 1960s to 1980s, which, despite outdated performance, still offer a strong transformation potential. The project investigates façade retrofitting using prefabbed elements made of natural and reused materials. A pilot project will validate energetical, ecological, and economic benefits through implementation and monitoring, leading to a transferable guideline.
Facts
| Funder: | BBSR – Bundesinstitut für Bau- Stadt- und Raumforschung |
| Programme: | Zukunft Bau |
| Overall budget | €388.733,72 |
| Role KIT | Concept development | Implementation of renovation strategy | Energy efficiency monitoring |
| Project duration: | 2025–2027 |
| KIT researchers: |
Prof. Dr. Riccardo La Magna, Chair of Design of Structures |
Project partners
Zimmerei Grünspecht eG
Contact
Prof. Dr. Riccardo La Magna
Phone: +49 721 608 4374
riccardo.lamagna∂kit.edu
The Intelligence of Loss in the Architectural Archive
Archives are core sites of destruction, decay, and loss. Whether through man-made causes or so-called natural disasters, much of humanity's stored material has been, and continues to be, eradicated. But what if we treated for getting not as a bug, but as a feature? While AI is hailed as a promise against loss, its own processes of erasure follow distinct patterns, revealing new ways of managing archival sustainability. This project approaches the intersection of archival disappearance and AI-driven erasure, reframing loss as a promise of other ways of knowing.
Anobium tunnels in a book. Documentation “What’s eating your collection?” ©Birmingham Museum/Art Gallery.
Facts
| Role KIT: | Project Partner |
| Project duration: | 2025–ongoing |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Meister – Professorship of Architecture Theory |
Project partners
Rafael Uriarte, Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (Max-Planck-Institute).
Bio-Inspired STEM topics for engagingyoung generations thanks to the use of Augmented reality
The main objectives of the Bios4You AR 2.0 project is to sensitise young students to STEM issues related to Bio-Sciences, Bio-Engineering, Bio-Architecture, Bio-Technology, Bio-Photonics, etc and create innovative educational materials thanks to the use of new AR technologies in such a way as to make all much more engaging both from the point of view of learning and teaching by teachers.
Facts
| Funder: | European Union |
| Programme: | Strategic Partnerships |
| Overall budget: | €400.000,00 |
| Grant amount: | €74.200,00 |
| Role KIT: | Coordinator |
| Project duration: | 2024–2026 |
| KIT researchers: | M.Sc. Tahereh Mallahnia, Chair of Building Lifecycle Management Dr. Volker Koch, Chair of Building Lifecycle Management |
Wood Education for Sustainable Construction – Empowering professionals and students to build a more sustainable future through innovative and tailored training in circular wood and timber construction.
The WENUS project aims to revolutionise vocational education in wood and timber construction by integrating circular economy principles and 3D printing technology into the curriculum. This project focuses on developing sustainable practices and enhancing digital skills in the sector. Over a 24-month period, WENUS will create a joint curriculum, practical training exercises (3D Printing), and an e-learning platform, aiming to equip students and professionals with the skills needed for a sustainable future in construction.
Facts
| Funder: | European Union |
| Programme: | Strategic Partnerships |
| Overall budget: | €250.000,00 |
| Grant amount: | €79.500,00 |
| Role KIT: | Coordinator |
| Project duration: | 2024–2026 |
| KIT researchers: | M.Sc. Maria Victoria Gomez Gomez, Chair of Building Lifecycle Management Dr. Volker Koch, Chair of Building Lifecycle Management |
Project partners
CETEM (Spain), INNORENEW (Solvenia), Globalnet (Poland).
The ARTILACS Research Training Group “Artistic Intelligence in Latent Creative Spaces” focuses on the concept of “artistic intelligence.” This addresses a critical yet affirmative engagement with developments in artificial intelligence (AI) within the context of artistic practice. ARTILACS aims to investigate the extent to which a hybrid combination of AI-supported, latent spaces and traditional knowledge spaces of artistic practice opens up opportunities for new forms of creativity and insight that can be methodologically captured within the concept of “Artistic Intelligence.”
Stackable Dishware by Nick Roericht (1959). ©HfG-Archiv, Museum Ulm
Facts
| Funder: | Max Planck Society, Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Meister – Professorship for Architecture Theory, saai | Archive for Architecture and Engineering |
| Programme: | Lise Meitner Excellence Program of the Max Planck Society |
| Overall budget: | Approx. €2.000.000,00 |
| Role KIT: | Project Partner |
| Project duration: | 2023–2028 |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Meister – Professorship of Architecture Theory |
Project partners
Anna-Maria Meister at Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max-Planck-Institute.
Archival Constructs between Index Cards and AI
If you were to browse through the complete catalog of the saai, one would find works by over 200 offices and architects–yet only a few of them are women, or involve practices and spaces created for or by marginalized groups or diverse actors. If metadata are understood as objects, as are their processes, infrastructures and consequences, then techniques for their virtual indexing can be learned from the human-made information from collected objects. Only by critically examining the archive's material techniques and value systems can blind spots be revealed-and addressed in AI applications.
The index card accompanying the Egon Eiermann estate describing the competition materials of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, Berlin. ©Mechthild Ebert
Facts
| Role KIT: | Project Partner |
| Project duration: | Ongoing |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Meister, Joshua Silver, Mechthild Ebert – saai | Archive for Architecture and Civil Engineering |
Project partners
Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (Max-Planck-Institute), Sina Brückner-Amin (German Museum).