Responsible Design

C2C – Country to City Bridge

C2CBridge 1 – Analysis and functional solution concepts
C2CBridge 2 – Testing and evaluation of the concepts

C2C explores how autonomous shuttle-based mobility can bridge the gap between urban public transport and rural individual travel. The project develops modular hubs where passengers can transfer conveniently to existing city transit, while the hubs may also provide additional services. A mock-up hub and test vehicles will be implemented for evaluation purposes on campus.

Moderner Busstopp „Campus Ost“ mit blauem Container-Aufbau und wartenden Personen.

Facts  
Funder: Federal Ministry of Transport
Programme: Federal budget grant
Overall budget: C2C1: €8,69M I C2C2: €6,67M
Grant amount: C2C1: €8,69M I C2C2: €6,67M
Role KIT: Project coordination and research
Project duration: C2C1: 2024–2026 I C2C2: 2024–2027
KIT researchers: AIFB, ECON, FAST, IEB, IESL, IFGG, IFL, IFV, IIP,
IOR, IPEK, ITAS, ITI, ITIV, KASTEL, LTI

Project partners

Institute des Karlsruher Instituts für Technologie KIT, (IEB, AIFB, ECON, FAST, IESL, IFGG, IFL, IVP, IIP, IOR, IPEK, ITAS, ITI, ITIV, KASTEL, LTI), Institute der Fraunhofer Gesellschaft für angewandte Forschung e.V. (IOSB, ICT, ISI,), Forschungszentrum Informatik (FZI), Baden-Württemberg Institut für Nachhaltige Mobilität (BWIM), Hochschule Karlsruhe HKA (BWIM), Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe (AVG), Stadt Karlsruhe, Technologie-Region Karlsruhe.

Project website

Contact

Dipl. Ing. Aristid Chang
Phone: +49 721 608 46683
chang∂kit.edu

INBUILT

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.

Isoliertes Tiny-Haus auf Trailer, Wandpaneele lösen sich ab, Bauteile als Module.

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.

Project website

ReSidual

Robotics and AI-based recovery of secondary material streams in the digital prefabrication of load-bearing timber-clay composite components

ReSidual uses digital building technology to reduce timber consumption in construction. Production offcuts are joined into load-bearing components using AI and robotic fabrication, while combining timber with building clay further reduces wood demand. The project investigates AI-based planning, robotic fabrication methods, mono-material joining techniques, and clay-timber composites. A 1:1 scale reclaimed timber-clay composite ceiling prototype is built, acoustically tested, and destructively load-tested. The findings assess the constructive and architectural potential of this circular, wood-saving construction method as an alternative to conventional timber-concrete composite slabs.

Ein massiver Holzbalken mit einer groben Putzschicht auf einem Arbeitstisch in einer Werkstatt.

Facts  
Funder: Klimaschutzstiftung Baden-Württemberg
Programme: BW Zirkuläres Bauen
Overall budget: No information, probably about €1.000.000,00
Grant amount: €198.000,00
Role KIT: Project Lead
Project duration: Aug. 2024–Jan. 2026
KIT researchers: Prof. Moritz Dörstelmann, KIT-IEB-DDF (Digital Design and Fabrication)
Prof. Pfilipp Dietsch, KIT-VAKA (Holzbau und Baukonstruktion)

Project partners

GROPYUS Technologies GmbH

Project website

SIRCULAR

Sustainable and integrated people centric solutions for building decarbonisation and circularity

SIRCULAR is committed to creating digital tools, technological solutions, and services to drive the decarbonisation of the built environment. The project aims to develop a methodology for assessing the circularity of buildings, which will evaluate the impact of new construction technologies in demonstration projects. These solutions will be accessible to both non-experts and construction professionals, allowing for easier access to information on decarbonisation and tools to improve circularity.

Aufzugsloser Betonkorridor eines modernen Gebäudekomplexes mit Treppenstufen und Fahrrad davor.

Facts  
Funder: European Union
Programme: Horizon Europe (Call: HORIZON-CL5-2023-D4-02-03)
Overall budget: €7,010,993.7
Grant amount: €5,999,644.26 (EU contribution)
Role KIT: Project partner
Project duration: June 2024–Nov. 2027
KIT researchers: Prof. Andrea Klinge, Felix Dingeldein, Natascha Steiner

Project partners

Consortium of 22 partners from six European countries, coordinated by RINA-C, including universities, SMEs, NGOs and industry partners such as CERTH, CARTIF, ICLEI, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, ITeC, UPC, TalTech, KIT, ZRS Architekten, Hormipresa, Balti Vara, GNE Finance, ICP, Rimond and STRESS.

Project website

Contact

Laura Bordo
laura.bordo∂rina.org

Natascha Steiner
natascha.steiner∂kit.edu