From Alt-Text to Alternative Knowledge Environments
Science communication is often visually centered and verbalized. So what would it mean to communicate scientific knowledge to blind or low-vision and deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals—not merely as a matter of accessibility compliance, but as a knowledge project? This project approaches “accessibility” not as the provision of more or less derivative descriptive translations or AI-generated alt-texts, but proposes disability as a method for producing alternative knowledge environments, thereby enriching the epistemological experience rather than offering what is often a limited “alternative.”
Screenshot from *Alt Text as Poetry*, a collaborative project by Bojana Coklyat and Finnegan Shannon exploring alt text as a creative practice. Courtesy of Finnegan Shannon.
Facts
| Total budget: | €150,000 |
| KIT’s role: | Project partner |
| Project duration: | 2026–ongoing |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Meister, Dr. Virginia Marano – Chair of Theory of Architecture |
Project partners
Anna-Maria Meister and Anna Luise Schubert – Institute of Art History in Florence (Max Planck Institute).
Excellence in Education in the Humanoid Supernova Era
HumaNova is a European Centers of Vocational Excellence project that prepares vocational education and training systems for the emerging era of human–humanoid collaboration by integrating humanoid-related skills into education and work-based learning. It establishes a transnational network of centers, innovation hubs, and application-driven labs to anticipate skills needs, co-create curricula, and pilot training programs linked to real-world humanoid use cases. The project focuses on the human-centric, inclusive, and responsible adoption of humanoid technologies, ensuring that digital transformation supports workers rather than replaces them. Fully aligned with EU priorities, HumaNova strengthens regional innovation ecosystems and equips Europe’s workforce to meet the social, technological, and ethical challenges of humanoid integration.
Facts
| Funder: | European Union |
| Program: | ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PEX-COVE |
| Total budget: | Approx. €4,000,000 |
| Grant amount: | Approx. €147,000 |
| KIT’s role: | Project partner |
| Project duration: | 2026–2030 |
| KIT researchers: | Dr. Volker Koch, Marie Sartorius – Chair of Building Lifecycle Management |
Project partners
Scuola Di Robotica (Italy), Campus des Métiers et des Qualifications Mécanique Con (France), Stäubli Faverges SCA (France), PricewaterhouseCoopers Business Solutions A.E. (Greece), Akmi Anonimi Ekpaideftiki Etairia (Greece), Gizelis Robotics Anonymi Viomichaniki Emporiki Eta (Greece), Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum (Belgium), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium), Pal Robotics S.L.U. (Spain), Fundació Eurecat (Spain), Foreningen Odense Robotics (Denmark), Syddansk Erhvervsskole (Denmark), Foreningen EU og Internationalt Samarbejde i (Denmark), MadLab 2.0 (Italy), European Association of Vocational Training Providers (Europe/Germany), Bk-consult GmbH (Germany), KUKA Deutschland GmbH (Germany).
How Accessibility Can Expand Aesthetic Possibilities, Reconfigure Relationships Between Users and Spaces, and Challenge Entrenched Hierarchies of Design
This project reframes access as a situated condition that reveals how environments, technologies, and forms of communication are structured unequally. Disability is understood not as residing solely in the body, but as emerging through socio-spatial relations—relational, contextual, and embedded in the environments we inhabit. From this perspective, barriers such as inaccessible interfaces, limited modes of communication, and exclusionary spatial design continue to marginalize people with disabilities. These barriers do more than restrict access: they actively shape who is able to participate in knowledge production and creative expression. Access is often narrowly framed in terms of compliance—reduced to standardized solutions such as wheelchair ramps, regulations, and minimum requirements. This project repositions accessibility as a creative practice. In collaboration with engineers, disabled artists, and designers, it treats access as a dynamic, evolving process that reshapes how we experience space, language, and the built environment. Moving between abstraction and material practice, it links theoretical frameworks from disability studies to interventions in design, interfaces, and artistic media. Situated at the intersection of disability studies, architecture, technology, and art, the project does not simply aim to remove barriers. Instead, it reconfigures design and communication by centering accessibility from the outset. Through practices such as alt-text, easy-to-read language, and multisensory engagement, it rethinks how spaces, objects, and digital environments can become legible, usable, and meaningful for a plurality of bodies and minds. Reframing Access investigates how accessibility can expand aesthetic possibilities, reconfigure relationships between users and spaces, and challenge entrenched hierarchies of design. By understanding access as an evolving and relational practice, the project offers new ways to think about difference, belonging, and the role of design in shaping cultural and artistic experience.
Donald Rodney, *Psalms*, 1997 – software, interactive motorized wheelchair, laptop, and sensors (Tate Collection, London). ©Donald Rodney.
Facts
| Programs: | Young Investigator Group Preparation Program |
| Overall budget: | €100,000 |
| Project duration: | 2026–2028 |
| KIT researchers: | Dr. Virginia Marano – Chair of Theory of Architecture |
Construction of a Circular, Wood-Based Pavilion Using Reclaimed Wood for the 2027 Bad Urach Garden Show, to Be Reused Later as a Bicycle Station Along the Brühlbach Trail
The City of Bad Urach is developing a pavilion for the 2027 Garden Show along a new cycling path, designed consistently in accordance with the principles of circular construction. The focus is on reusing reclaimed timber from a deconstruction project in Billigheim-Ingenheim, reversible construction methods, and detailing appropriate to the materials. The timber is analyzed and categorized, forming the basis for both the architectural design and the structural system. During the Garden Show, the pavilion will serve as a venue for selling regional products; afterward, it will be repurposed as a rest stop and bicycle station. Developed as an interdisciplinary teaching project at KIT, it results in a feasible prototype that serves as a model for the reuse of building components.
Roof Structure Vierseitenhof Billigheim-Ingenheim
Facts
| Funder: | City of Bad Urach, Garden Show Municipal Enterprise |
| Program: | Ideas Competition – Sustainable Construction Research |
| Project duration: | 2026–2027 |
| KIT researchers: |
Prof. Dennis Mueller – Chair of Building Construction and Design |
Project partners
City of Bad Urach, Garden Show Municipal Enterprise.
Seniors’ Well-Being and Safety Online – Younger Generations Help Through the Use of Augmented Reality
The main goal of the project is to support healthy aging among seniors through the use of ICT, media literacy, and ambient assisted living in a cyber-secure manner. The project will enhance the safety, cybersecurity, and social engagement of seniors, as well as their overall well-being. We will empower seniors and older learners to use digital products and services that enable them to lead safe, high-quality, and independent lives.
Facts
| Funder: | European Union |
| Program: | Strategic Partnerships |
| Total budget: | €250,000 |
| Grant amount: | €56,700 |
| KIT's role: | Project partner |
| Project duration: | 2025–2027 |
| KIT researchers: | Dr. Volker Koch, Hedieh Ataollahi – Chair of Building Lifecycle Management |
Project partners
ACUFADE (Spain), E-SENIORS (France), Asociatia Bridge Language Study House (Romania), PARASOL (Poland).
Artistic Intelligence in Latent Creative Spaces
The ARTILACS Research Training Group “Artistic Intelligence in Latent Creative Spaces” focuses on the concept of “artistic intelligence.” This concept 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.”
ARTILACS logo by ARTICACS
Facts
| Funder: | Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – Ministry of Science, Research, Equality, and Districts |
| Program: | Hamburg State Research Funding Program (funding line: research consortia and graduate schools) |
| Grant amount: | €1,002,000 |
| KIT’s role: | Project partner |
| Project duration: | 2024–2027 |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Dr. Sabine Hansmann – Chair of Theory of Architecture |
Project partners
HafenCity University of Hamburg, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg University of Fine Arts, Hamburg University of Music and Theater, University of Lübeck, Lübeck University of Music.
The Model as a Tool of Architectural Imagination
[...] The project builds upon the knowledge, insights, and archival findings gained through the preceding four-year DFG project, “Louis Kahn: Drawing, Thinking, Architecture” (ME 4149/1–2). That project—which enabled the research and analysis of thousands of drawings housed in Kahn’s archive—is the first systematic and critical study of Kahn’s design process as reflected in his drawings and those of his office. While an in-depth study of Kahn’s use of architectural models is of considerable value in itself, when considered alongside the preceding study of Kahn’s use of drawing, it adds up to a uniquely comprehensive survey of a single master architect’s design culture. Unlike previous studies, which have focused on Kahn’s built work and considered his models only insofar as they shed light on those buildings, the proposed study seeks to understand Kahn’s use of this design tool as an independent source of insight into his design intelligence and work. At the same time, the study aims to address the general lack of research on the architectural model in the design process. [...]
Facts
| Funder: | German Research Foundation |
| Grant amount: | €136,000 |
| Project duration: | 2024–2025 |
| KIT researchers: | Dr. Michael Merrill – Chair of the History of Building and Architecture |
Project partner
University of Pennsylvania.
Hanging Houses, Spatial Nets, and the Categorization of Architectural Knowledge
Conrad Roland, an internationally active architect and engineer, is best known for his innovative rope net constructions, which became popular playground equipment worldwide. But his legacy extends far beyond the well-known climbing nets: With visionary high-rise suspended structures and experimental spatial rope nets, Roland radically challenged conventional architectural concepts. His sense of order was also unique: Roland organized his research work using a specially developed color code. The uniqueness of this classification system must be preserved while also being integrated into an existing archival framework. This opens up exciting new perspectives on methodological approaches and challenges in the archiving and processing of complex collections.
Conrad Roland Works Archive at saai. ©Manuela Gantner
Facts
| Funder: | Wüstenrot Foundation |
| Total budget: | €87,450 |
| KIT's role: | Project Manager |
| Project duration: | 2024–2025 |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Dr. Anna-Maria Meister, Manuela Gantner, Eva Just – saai | Archive for Architecture and Civil Engineering |
Strategy for Determining and Reducing GHG Emissions as the Primary Control Mechanism for the Circular Economy in Germany’s Construction Industry
This doctoral dissertation investigates how targeted reductions in environmental impacts in Germany’s building sector can achieve GHG neutrality by 2045 and stimulate innovation toward a circular economy. International models and methods are analyzed and adapted to the German context to quantify the life-cycle environmental impacts of current construction activities using building LCAs. The results are compared with national emission reduction targets, taking into account cross-sectoral decarbonization, thereby enabling the scientifically grounded development of policy measures and control instruments to reduce emissions and promote circularity in the construction sector.
Simultaneous reduction in environmental impact alongside the growth of the circular economy. ©NB, Elene Boerman
Facts
| Program: | dissertation |
| Project duration: | 2023–ongoing |
| KIT researchers: | Elena Boerman – Chair of Sustainable Construction |
Advancing Sustainable Building Practices in Europe
The Horizon Europe project INBUILT promotes circular construction by integrating digitalization 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 the lifespan of timber by up to 200 years.
Facts
| Funder: | European Union |
| Program: | Horizon Europe (Built4People partnership) |
| Total budget: | €9,400,000 |
| Grant amount: | €7,300,000 |
| KIT's role: | Project partner |
| Project duration: | 2023–2027 |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Andrea Klinge, Felix Dingeldein, Natascha Steiner – Chair of Construction and Design |
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.
Contact
Giorgio Alessandro
g.alessandro∂greenovate-europe.eu
Erwin Franquet
Erwin.FRANQUET∂univ-cotedazur.fr
Natascha Steiner
natascha.steiner∂kit.edu
Multidimensional Comfort Models – Development of a Systematic Approach to Theory, Experimental Design, and Modeling
The primary goal of this project is to significantly advance the understanding of crossed main effects and interactions in multi-domain comfort perception through laboratory experiments. Specific objectives are to 1) create a consistent and up-to-date knowledge base regarding the impact of indoor environmental stressors on human perception; 2) develop a systematic approach and theoretical framework for future experimental multi-domain studies; 3) develop a structure for a general multi-domain comfort model; 4) apply and evaluate different modeling approaches using experimental data; and 5) thoroughly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these modeling approaches.
Experimental design to investigate multi-domain comfort effects in the MuDoCo project. ©bst
Facts
| Funder: | German Research Foundation |
| Total budget: | €805,188 |
| Grant amount: | €291,705 |
| KIT’s role: | Project partner |
| Project duration: | 2023–2026 |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Andreas Wagner, Dr. Isabel Mino Rodriguez – Chair of Building Science and Technology |
Project partners
RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Graz University of Technology.
Staying Young with Robots (JuBot: Staying Young with Robots – Versatile Assistive Robotics for Managing Everyday Life
In an increasingly aging society, humanoid assistive robotics can make a key contribution to the support and care of older adults. The goal is to maintain and promote the independence and health of older adults and to support healthcare workers. These challenges are addressed using a human-centered approach. The focus is on providing support for managing everyday tasks and developing methods for personalized training of motor and cognitive skills. The systems and methods are being developed for versatile, customizable applications and tested in real-world environments. The research areas are: mechano-informatics of assistive robotics, personalized and context-sensitive assistance, motor and cognitive training, and future life with assistive robots.
Facts
| Funder: | Carl Zeiss Foundation |
| Program: | CZS Breakthroughs |
| Total budget | €7,888 |
| Grant amount: | KIT’s own contribution: €3,389 | Carl Zeiss Foundation: €4,499 |
| KIT’s role: | Project manager |
| Project duration: | 2021–2026 |
| KIT researchers: | IAR, H2T, ITIV, PCS, IES, BLM, ifab, ITAS, ISAS, TM, DSN, IPR, HERA, IfSS, IPEK, cv:hci, ISL, SEK, KCIST |
Study of the Effect of Thermal Radiation on Thermal Perception and Thermal Comfort
Preliminary work shows that well-known models for heat and comfort perception do not always accurately reflect the perception of radiant heat flux from the environment. Particularly in cases of asymmetric temperature distribution, their suitability for assessing thermal comfort in a room is limited. The goal of this project is therefore to better understand the influence of radiative heat exchange on thermal sensation at various body locations through a series of experiments with human subjects. Experimental investigations are conducted in the LOBSTER indoor climate test facility, and the collected data serve as the basis for improving algorithms in the UC Berkeley comfort model.
Devices developed in-house for testing radiative heat exchange between different body parts and their environment. ©bst
Facts
| Funder: | German Research Foundation |
| Total budget: | €416,803 |
| Grant amount: | €416,803 |
| Project duration: | 2021–2026 |
| KIT researchers: | Prof. Andreas Wagner, Seyed Mohammad Hooshmand – Chair of Building Science and Technology |
Data Mining, Machine Learning, Feedback, and Feedforward – Energy Efficiency Through Occupant-Centric Building Systems
Studies on the energy performance of buildings show that a lack of knowledge about occupant behavior often results in a significant performance gap. The goal of the project was therefore to systematically develop and optimize the data utilization process chain in buildings, particularly using intelligent sensor technology, data mining, machine learning, and predictive analytics. Modeling methods and tools were developed to improve building performance by gaining better insights into user behavior. Our task was to investigate whether an app that provides users with information predicting energy and comfort trends following an interaction influences user satisfaction and user behavior.
Scheme for optimizing the data utilization process chain in buildings. ©bst
Facts
| Funder: | Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (BMWi, Germany) |
| Program: | Energy-Optimized Building (EnOB) |
| Total budget: | €3,676,847 |
| Grant amount: | €530,000 (KIT) |
| KIT’s role: | Project coordinator |
| Project duration: | 2019–2023 |
| KIT researchers: |
Dr. Isabel Mino Rodriguez, Dr. Romana Markovic – Chair of Building Science and Technology ; Andre Orth – Institute for Automation and Applied Informatics |
Project partners
RWTH Aachen University, Fraunhofer IBP, ABB AG, BayernFM.
Development and Demonstration of Ceiling-Integrated Fans During the Renovation of the County Administrative Building in Dillingen
The challenge of this project was to ensure thermal comfort during the summer without active cooling as part of a renovation strategy. To validate the effect of fans integrated into acoustic ceiling panels on user satisfaction, experiments were conducted in the LOBSTER indoor climate test facility at KIT. The results showed general acceptance and a high level of comfort among participants. The influence of temperature on the perception of indoor temperature was more pronounced than that of adjustable air velocity and airflow direction. A survey conducted in the building after the renovation revealed that the ceiling fans were generally considered effective and had a positive impact on the indoor climate.
Experimental setup for testing a fan integrated into an acoustic ceiling panel in the LOBSTER indoor climate test facility. ©bst
Facts
| Funder: | Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (BMWi, Germany) |
| Program: | Energy-Optimized Building (EnOB) |
| Total budget: | €909,209 |
| Grant amount: | €300,276 (KIT) |
| Project duration: | 2018–2023 |
| KIT researchers: | Romina Risetto – Chair of Building Science and Technology |
Project partners
Dillingen County Administrative Office, University of Wuppertal (BUW), Ecophon, ebm-papst.
A Digitization Project for the Architectural Archive
Egon Eiermann’s architectural archive is considered one of the most significant collections of an architect’s work, both nationally and internationally. The total volume of the collection amounts to over 30,000 archival items. The goal of the “Egon Eiermann Digital” project is the systematic digitization of archival sources from Egon Eiermann’s work archive, taking into account technical capabilities as well as applicable copyrights. Over the course of the project, more than 7,000 digitized items were created and tagged with metadata; the most important of these—title of the digitized item, project title, project period, people involved, building type, country, state, city, dimensions of the original, scale, object category, technique/material, and keywords—can be viewed by users of the website.
Facts
| Funder: | Egon Eiermann Gesellschaft e. V., Peter and Waltraud Betsche Foundation |
| Grant amount: | €500,000 |
| KIT’s role: | Project Manager |
| Project duration: | 2018–2023 |
| KIT researchers: | Mechthild Ebert, Martin Kunz, Gerhard Karbierske, Senay Memed – saai | Archive for Architecture and Structural Engineering |
Circular Construction Using Reclaimed Materials
As part of the “Domino Zirkular” project, the Chair of Circular Timber Construction (KHB) is investigating how materials from demolition, particularly reclaimed wood, can be systematically integrated into residential construction. The project addresses this issue on various levels: from the development of individual components on a 1:1 scale and their assembly into a structural system to a building concept for multi-story residential construction. The project was initiated and developed as part of the curriculum and is now to be transformed into a research project. The approaches will be further developed and presented in a demonstration building at the International Building Exhibition 2027.
Elements of Domino Zirkular, roofing made from leftover pieces of gutter. ©Benjamin Stöhrer/KHB
Facts
| KIT researchers: |
T.T.-Prof. Florian Kaiser, Niklas Erlewein, Rebecca Steinbach – Chair of Circular Wood Construction |
Project partners
Digital Design and Fabrication KIT, Construction and Design KIT, Design of Structures KIT, Timber Construction and Building Construction KIT, Stuttgarter Wohnungs- und Städtebaugesellschaft mbH, International Building Exhibition StadtRegion Stuttgart 2027.
The Residency Program aims to open the saai to international research on its collections, while also fostering dialogue about this research and encouraging critical reflection on the archive team’s own work. The goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary research at the saai within the newly established iaas | Center for International Architectural Archival Studies. As part of the program, which has been held annually since 2025, up to three fellows may be invited for a research residency lasting 4–6 weeks. A public workshop, a podcast episode, and the publication of a volume in the saai’s brochure series ensure the visibility and accessibility of the results.
A look inside the storage vault at the state mint. ©Bernd Seeland
Facts
| Funder: | Wüstenrot Foundation |
| Grant amount: | €33,835 (2025 and 2026) |
| KIT’s role: | Project Manager |
| Project duration: | Four to six weeks in June/July each year |
| KIT researchers: |
Anna-Maria Meister – Chair of Architectural Theory ; Joaquin Medina Warmburg – Chair of History of Building and Architecture ; Doris Hallama, Eva Just, Martin Kunz – saai | Archive for Architecture and Structural Engineering |