GRK 3123:  BioBuild – Bio-inspired Materials and Systems for Responsive Building Components

• Subject Area: Construction Engineering and Architecture ; Materials Science ; Mechanics and Constructive Mechanical Engineering ; Plant Sciences ; Polymer Research ; Process Engineering, Technical Chemistry
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 543816109

Façades, as mediators between out- and indoor climates, are amongst the main factors controlling energy exchange between a building and its environment. Of particular interest is the targeted design of responsive building components that adapt to changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, or humidity. An important premise here is that these components meet higher performance requirements with less embodied and operational energy compared to existing climate-conditioning systems. Currently, such responsive kinetic architectural components are typically utilised by rigid body mechanisms, which are guided along straight axes in translation or rotation, such as louvers, sliding sunshades or window shutters. Responsive façades in architecture are, at present, conceived as an added function with numerous sensing, actuating, and regulating devices. This subdivision into multiple elements with a multitude of mechanically parts results in high technical complexity leading to high construction costs, high energy consumption, high maintenance and often a lack of longevity and functional robustness, together with geometric constraints. Consequently, common shading and ventilation systems are often not feasible for the application of curved façades or can only be mounted on the inside, resulting in a drastic loss of efficiency in thermal management control. Curved surfaces are more common in other fields of technology, such as the automobile or aircraft industry, and so any developments made here for architecture can be transferred to these fields. Alternatives to the above are the so-called compliant mechanisms that involve the use of reversible deformation. Their motion behaviour is determined by a combination of the functional geometric articulation, locally defined mechanical properties, and the appropriate material. In comparison with rigid body mechanics, compliant systems provide a huge potential for geometric adaptations, while significantly reducing their mechanical complexity and increasing their robustness. Systems made of flexible elements offer opportunities for novel designs and implementations, not only in architecture, but also in other fields. The topic of responsive building components thus addresses questions from both the natural and the engineering sciences. The goal of this RTG is therefore to train a new generation of researchers to collaborate with researchers with strong disciplinary competence in complementary fields of science. To achieve this, the RTG is conceptualised as a bridge between the two Clusters of Excellence “Living Material Systems (livMatS)” at the University of Freiburg and “Integrative Computational Design and Construction (IntCDC)” at the University of Stuttgart. Training at the interface of these various sciences will prepare researchers for the challenges of our time, which require interactions between the methods from the natural sciences and the problem-solving strategies from engineering.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Universität Stuttgart
• Co-Applicant Institution: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr.-Ing. Jan Knippers
• Participating Researchers: Dr.-Ing. Larissa Born; Dr. Isabella Fiorello; Dr.-Ing. Serena Gambarelli, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Laura Hartmann; Dr. Tom Masselter; Professor Achim Menges; Professor Dr.-Ing. Bastian Ernst Rapp; Professor Dr. Jürgen Rühe; Professor Dr. Thomas Speck; Professor Dr.-Ing. Holger Steeb