Bio-based Materials and Materials Cycles in Architecture (BioMat) from Stuttgart University designed and realised together with TU/e a pavilion on the campus in Stuttgart. In this project innovative bio-composite plates were developed and used in a grid-shell structure spanning approx. 10m. Read more
Mycelium-based materials are renewable and can replace fossil-based plastics in the futures. A mycelium-based material is a composite consisting of a natural reinforcement or filler, such as hemp fibres, and the mycelium of a fungus. Preliminary research has been carried out about the mechanical properties to evaluate possible applications in the built environment. Read more
In 2016 a research team, led by Eindhoven University of Technology, realised a fully bio-based composite pedestrian bridge with a span of 14m across the river Dommel on the campus of the university. The specific bio-based composite material consists of hemp and flax fibre with integrated fibre-optical sensor to monitor the structural behaviour in real-time.
In 2021 a research project will start explore the possibilty to re-use precast concrete elements and re-design new building with them. Some previous work in this field of Eindhoven University of Technology can be viewed here.
Prora „Block 1” is a massive building structure on the Island of Rugen/ Germany with a length of 450m. This challenging, but successful transformation of the existing ruin into new apartments and a hotel was carried out between 2013-16. In that case transformation vs. demolition lead to a significant reduction of C02 emission by using the existing structure.
Eindhoven University of Technology conducted a research study about the assessment of 60 multi-story buildings in the Netherlands, which have been assessed on their technical building properties to see which building parameters are influential on the probability of an elongated service-life for the building structure.
Currently researchers and students at Eindhoven University of Technology carry out studies how existing steel elements from stock can be utilised to create new structures. Parametric design tools and various optimisation techniques are applied to this and LCA is used to assess the potential environmental benefit of this approach. More information will follow soon.
In Eindhoven (NL) is an inspirational example for circular structural design: The re-use of so-called Bailey Bridge elements in the train-station roof-structure. These standard truss segments (engineered by Donald Bailey) were used to cross rivers during the Second World War.
Building with ice is one, admittedly unexpected, possibility to design out waste and pollutions. Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology explored various options and showed the possibility in various projects in Finland and China. Read more
Within the overall concept of robotic manufacturing 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) provides the potential to increase the productivity and reduce the environmental impact of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry by designing out waste and pollution. The 3DCP research group at TU/e addresses the scientific challenges to develop the technology towards structural applications of 3D printed concrete. Read more