Sustainable construction: RWTH Aachen relies on environmentally friendly innovations!

Sustainable construction: RWTH Aachen relies on environmentally friendly innovations!

Laurens Bekemans, junior professor of building construction and design at RWTH Aachen University, consistently uses natural building materials in his innovative designs. His projects, which include walls made of sunflowers and facades clad in thatch, are particularly striking. On March 9, 2025, it was announced that Bekemans' contract had been extended for another three years. He has been teaching at RWTH Aachen for almost three years, where he was appointed for the first time in March 2022.

Bekemans has not only established himself as an academic, but is also a co-founder of the Brussels collaboration “BC architects and studies and materials”. Together with his team, he organizes workshops in Germany, southern France, Belgium and England to introduce students to environmentally friendly construction. An impressive example of his work is a project in southern France in which sunflowers were used as an innovative raw material for a house wall.

Commitment to sustainable materials

Another significant contribution by Bekemans to sustainable architecture is the construction of a pavilion in the Asiat Park north of Brussels. This was built from pressed earth and a thatched facade, involving 45 RWTH students and an artist. The pavilion was built on the occasion of the “Horst Art and Music Festival” and will remain in the park after the festival. Bekemans reports that his students are growing interest in sustainable construction, a trend that he would like to further stimulate through his initiatives.

In addition, Bekemans explains that he would like to encourage companies to move away from usual construction methods and pursue new, more sustainable approaches. This is particularly relevant as the transition to sustainable architecture is necessary to minimize the environmental footprint of the construction industry and work towards long-term sustainability, reflected in changing societal values.

Scientific principles for environmentally friendly building

The approaches in sustainable architecture can be supported by scientific findings. These include, among other things, innovative material selection, energy efficiency, water-saving technologies and the conscious reduction of CO₂ emissions. Modern buildings should take the entire life cycle of materials into account - from extraction to recycling. This also includes the use of durable and environmentally friendly materials and the integration of green spaces to improve the microclimate.

Technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) support the planning and optimization of the energy requirements and environmental impact of buildings. Innovative building materials, such as bio-based polymers and geopolymers, are of great importance in this context as they conserve resources and can reduce CO₂ emissions.

For the successful implementation of sustainable architecture, collaboration between architects, engineers, urban planners and environmental scientists is essential. It also emphasizes that digital transformation in construction is necessary to overcome current challenges and develop innovative solutions. This is all supported by organizations such as the World Green Building Council, which provide databases of case studies and best practices for sustainable building.

Research, teaching and practice must go hand in hand in order to master the ecological challenges of our time and develop sustainable solutions for the future. Bekemans sees itself as having this responsibility and is setting new standards in the area of ​​environmentally friendly construction with its initiatives and projects. Further information about his activities and the core areas of his research is available on the websites of RWTH Aachen and the partner organizations.