The following institutes and working groups of the Faculties of Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering are the ones responsible for the project:
- The research focus of the "Tools and Forming" working group at the Institute for Material Science, Joining Technology and Forming Technology is in the field of sheet metal forming and tool technology. In order to guarantee a close-to-practical research work, the special requirements of the industry have to be considered.
- he Institute for Building Construction and, in particular, the "Working Group on Building Construction and Facade Technology", sees its competencies and experience in the research areas "Concrete Building Envelopes", "Adaptive Building Envelopes" and "Metal Building Envelopes".
- The Institute of Thermal Engineering is working with its Working Group "Energy Efficient Buildings" to develop sustainable energy strategies and software solutions for the evaluation and optimization of buildings.
The primary benefit of the current project lies in the strong cooperation between the institutes involved in the field of metal production and tooling technology. The practical implementation of theoretical knowledge leads to findings which can not be gained by a purely scientific approach. This, on the other hand, strengthens the Field of Expertise "Sustainable Systems" defined by the Technical University of Graz and, on the other hand, increases the potential for cooperation between companies and scientific institutions. As a further advantage of the cooperation between science and business, the development of innovative technologies and the opening up of new research topics are emerging.
Previous Projects
The participating institutes not only have a high scientific competence, but are also well-versed in the practical planning and development of façades due to the experience of their employees in the private sector. The interdisciplinary cooperation of the working groups was successfully carried out in the already completed project "UNAB - Sustainable Design Process & Integrated Facades". This research project funded by the Styrian Future Fund dealt with the development and conceptualisation of energetically activated self-supporting façade constructions made of metallic materials.