World's first adaptive high-rise: ground-breaking ceremony

October 27, 2018 /

Demonstrator is developed within the framework of SFB 1244 - Head: Prof. der Fakultät

On 26 October 2018, the ground-breaking ceremony for the world's first adaptive high-rise building took place on the Vaihingen campus of the University of Stuttgart together with around 150 guests representing important partners from research, practice and administration, including Theresia Bauer, Science Minister of Baden-Württemberg. Scientists will investigate under real conditions, i.e. on a scale of 1:1, how buildings can actively adapt to changing environmental influences. The prototype is being developed as part of Collaborative Research Centre 1244 "Adaptive skins and structures for the built environment of tomorrow" funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). It is headed by Prof. Werner Sobek, Director of the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Design (ILEK) of the Faculty, and Prof. Oliver Sawodny.

The 5 * 5 m demonstrator is 12 storeys high. An adjacent stair tower, which is also approx. 36 m high, is used for access and contains all supply lines. As part of the ground-breaking ceremony, Augmented Reality demonstrations using mixed-reality glasses provided an impressive insight into the future of the building, and an adaptive demonstrator model on a scale of 1:18 was presented.

A unique feature of this high-rise building is the integration of active elements into the supporting structure. Sensors and actuators together enable, among other things, the wind-induced vibrations in the tower to be compensated by an intelligent control concept. Sensors detect any deformations that occur, while hydraulic actuators in the supporting structure ensure that the vibrations are damped in a targeted manner by counterforces - so less material can be used for construction and it is thus much lighter than would be possible without adaptivity. SFB spokesman Prof. Werner Sobek is confident: "With this project we will not only maintain our leading global position in lightweight construction, we will also continue to expand it".

The façade of the building initially consists of a single-layer recycled membrane, which is gradually replaced during the SFB's running time by more specific envelope elements that can actively influence the light and energy input into the building, air exchange and heat transfer. The aim is to achieve maximum user comfort with minimum energy consumption. In the demonstrator, technical solutions from external partners will be examined and tested in addition to the SFB's own developments. The total construction costs of the project amount to 2 million euros, of which the University of Stuttgart itself will pay around 1.3 million euros.

The SFB 1244 "Adaptive skins and structures for the built environment of tomorrow" at the University of Stuttgart deals with the question of how more living space can be created with less material in the future in view of a growing world population and shrinking resources. Against the background of a maximum reduction of material and energy consumption while simultaneously increasing user comfort, 14 university institutes from a wide range of disciplines are researching the potential and applicability of adaptive building envelopes and structures in the building industry. The research comprises both the development of individual (building) components and their integration into an overall system.

Homepage SFBs 1244

Contact Stefanie Weidner, Universität Stuttgart, Projektleitung SFB 1244, Tel.: +49 711 685-63705, stefanie.weidner[ät]ilek.uni-stuttgart.de
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