Pioneering research: Stuttgart designs climate-positive construction!

Pioneering research: Stuttgart designs climate-positive construction!

Scientists from the University of Stuttgart and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) are continuing their research in the interdisciplinary Cluster of Excellence IntCDC. The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Science Council have decided to fund the cluster with the full title “Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Transformative Architecture (IntCDC)” for another seven years. This is an important step that not only enables the University of Stuttgart to expand its international cutting-edge research in the field of architecture and construction, but also to transform planning and construction in a sustainable and climate-positive way.

Professor Peter Middendorf, the rector of the University of Stuttgart, welcomed the funding institutions' decision. He emphasizes the university's enormous potential to find solutions to social challenges. According to Middendorf, the excellence strategy is based on a competitive competition characterized by international scientific evaluations. The university intends to analyze the results of the reports and thus advance strategic development.

Interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving

The Cluster of Excellence follows an integrative research approach that covers several areas. This ranges from methods and processes to systems and cross-departmental topics. The aim is to develop comprehensive solutions to ecological, economic and social challenges that cannot be solved with conventional, incremental approaches. The focus is also on creating the conditions for a high-quality and sustainable built environment and building a digital building culture.

One of the central goals of the cluster is to strengthen Germany's competitiveness in the largest industrial sector in the world. The University of Stuttgart sees itself in an excellent position to address these research challenges thanks to its long tradition and international visibility in architecture and civil engineering. Current projects, such as the DFG Cluster of Excellence IntCDC and various special research areas, underline the national unique selling point in this area.

Collaborative projects and long-term goals

An example of a related research direction is the INKEWES project, which focuses on the revitalization and utilization of empty industrial cultural sites in Saxony. The focus here is on renewable energy concepts and the reuse of historical industrial assets. The aim is to combine the energy transition with the preservation of industrial areas and to develop useful strategies for dealing with these areas in accordance with listed buildings. Geothermal approaches to energy supply and the analysis of neighborhood-based processes to reduce energy consumption are also part of the research agenda. The duration of this project is from 2024 to 2026 and the TU Dresden acts as a research partner.

The synergistic effects of such interdisciplinary projects show how knowledge can be promoted not only in architecture, but also in urban planning and monument preservation. Other projects carried out at TU Dresden shed light on topics ranging from supporting municipalities with digitalization to examining transformation processes in urban and rural contexts. This comprehensive research landscape fills a significant part of the framework that the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC also strives for with its goals.